Department for Transport

Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the third progress report on the promotion and use of energy from renewable sources for the UK, when his Department plans to consult on the future shape of the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation scheme.

Andrew Jones: We expect to consult later this year on amendments to the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation scheme.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to evaluate the progress of his Department's ultra-low emission vehicle communications strategy.

Andrew Jones: The Go Ultra Low campaign, which we run in conjunction with eight major vehicle manufacturers and that is intended to explain the benefits of ultra low emission vehicles to fleet and consumer audiences, is subject to a programme of ongoing evaluation. We survey the campaign’s audiences at key campaign milestones to test its performance. To date, Go Ultra Low has exceeded government and industry campaign benchmarks on key measures. Of those surveyed who recalled seeing campaign activity, 71% have taken action as a result of having seen our advert, and the campaign’s website is now averaging 51,000 visitors a month following a four-fold increase in 2015 compared to 2014. The Go Ultra Low campaign is an important part of the UK’s programme to support the uptake of ultra low emission vehicles, leading to market growth of 94% in 2015.

Electric Vehicles

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to publish a review of the Plugged-in Places trial.

Andrew Jones: The Office for Low Emission Vehicles published a review of the Plugged-in Places projects entitled ‘Lessons Learnt from the Plugged-in Places Projects’ on 4 September 2013. The full document is available online at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/lessons-learnt-from-the-plugged-in-places-projects

Large Goods Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress he has made on his evaluation of the potential for low carbon HGVs.

Andrew Jones: The Government has implemented measures to encourage cleaner and more fuel efficient HGVs through a 10-year duty incentive for road fuel gases, increasing potential rewards for gaseous fuels under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, our £25m Advanced Biofuels Demonstration Competition and the £11m Low Carbon Truck Trial. The Department for Transport is making good progress on its review of options to further reduce CO2 emissions from the freight sector and expects to report to Ministers later this year.

East Midlands Trains

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the East Midlands Trains Franchise Extension document to March 2018.

Claire Perry: The Department negotiated a Direct Award with Stagecoach to provide services until March 2018. The new Franchise document is currently being prepared for publication and will be available soon on our website at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/public-register-of-rail-passenger-franchise-agreements.

Railways: Accidents

Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many accidents have occurred on trains involving slam doors in each of the last five years.

Claire Perry: The number of passenger accidents over the years 2011 to 2015 that involved slam-door stock, broken down by injury degree, is set out in the table below:- Degree of Injury20112012201320142015Major00001Minor1917101520Shock/trauma00010Total accidents1917101621

Department for Transport: Data Protection

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2016 to Question 23487, which external consultants or other third parties were responsible for the eight breaches there identified.

Mr Robert Goodwill: 2 cases were reported by Shared Services Arvato2 cases were reported by GBGroup plc2 cases were reported by Pearson1 case was reported by Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA)1 case was reported by Civil Service Resourcing who reported non-receipt of documents from the sender.

Department for Transport: Data Protection

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2016 to Question 23487, of the eight breaches there identified, how many concerned documents within each of the following categories applicable prior to April 2014, namely (a) top secret, (b) secret, (c) confidential, (d) restricted, (e) protected and (f) unclassified; and how many breaches concerned documents within each of the following categories applicable from April 2014, namely (i) top secret, (ii) secret and (iii) official-sensitive or official.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Of the eight breaches reported pursuant to the answer of 28 January 2016 to Question 23487 none of them concerned documents prior to April 2014 Since April 2014;6 cases concerned OFFICIAL or OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE documents2 cases did not involve documents

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department records the number of late licensing penalties issued by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency for the non-return of V11 forms; and what revenue is raised from those penalties.

Andrew Jones: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) does not issue late licensing penalties for the non-return of V11 forms. However, the DVLA does issue such penalties to those who do not pay the vehicle excise duty due on their vehicle. During 2014-2015, 474,861 late licensing penalties were issued with £16m collected in revenue. These are the audited figures as included in the DVLA’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2014/15.

Shipping: Training

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which recommendations from the (a) skills section and (b) other sections of the Maritime Skills Study the Government plans to implement; and what the timescale for implementation will be.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government formally responded to the Study in December 2015 accepting all the recommendations directed to government and progress is already being made. A new Ministerial Working Group for Maritime Growth has been established to drive growth and tackle issues affecting the sector. The Working Group, including representatives from industry, met for the first time in November 2015 and discussed a range of issues around maritime skills including expanding apprenticeships (recommendation 11). In addition, the Government has issued an invitation to tender for the Seafarer Projections Review (recommendation 7). The review of SMarT - Support for Maritime Training (recommendation 9) will need to take account of the Seafarer Projections work and will follow in four to six weeks’ time. Officials are also working with the Department for Education and the Ministry of Defence on the recommendations pertaining to increasing youth awareness of seafaring and better links to the Royal Navy and the wider maritime sector (recommendations 13 and 15). The other recommendations concerning skills are directed primarily at industry.

Shipping: Apprentices

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the Maritime Apprenticeships Trailblazer Working Group (TWG); when he expects Maritime TWG apprenticeships to be available to employees and employers in the shipping industry; and what estimate he has made of the number of new seafarer ratings that will be trained through apprenticeships developed through the Maritime TWG.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Maritime skills and apprenticeships, including the maritime trailblazer, were discussed at the first meeting of the new Ministerial Working Group for Maritime Growth on 30th November 2015. The group comprises Ministers and senior officials from across Whitehall including the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and industry representative including from the Maritime Apprenticeships Trailblazer Working Group. The Maritime Apprenticeships Trailblazer Working Group is an employer led group. The able seafarer (deck) standard is now approved and ready for delivery and others are in development. Once a standard is ready for delivery it is open to any employer or training provider for delivery. It is too early to make an assessment on the number of new seafarer ratings that will be trained through apprenticeships, but the Department is currently reviewing seafarer projections across the industry.

Shipping: Employment

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what changes to the annual seafarer statistics published by his Department were made as a result of his Department's methodological review of projected seafarer numbers; when that review was conducted; and if he will publish the findings of that review.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The invitation to tender for the Seafarer Projections Review was sent out by the Crown Commercial Service on Tuesday 19 January 2016 and the closing date for bids is Tuesday 1 March 2016. Seafarer Statistics 2015, published on 27 January 2016, was produced using the same methodology as in previous years. As mentioned in the release, in 2016, the department will be undertaking a user engagement exercise to find out more about how the Seafarer Statistics are used and to collate views on the methodology. The aim of this will be to identify any opportunity for methodological improvements and ensure that the statistics continue to be fit for purpose.

Shipping: Pay

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the effects of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea on the practice of nationality-based pay differentials in the (a) UK, (b) European and (c) international shipping industry.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Issues relating to the practice of nationality based differential pay and UNCLOS are being considered by the Post Implementation Review of the Equality Act 2010 (Work on Ships and Hovercraft) Regulations 2011 which is due to complete by the autumn of 2016. Under UNCLOS, coastal States do not interfere in the ‘internal economy’ of foreign flagged ships on innocent passage in their territorial waters. However, seafarers have a range of potential employment protection where they work, or ordinarily work, in the United Kingdom. In a recent case the Court held that this applies to seafarers working from a base situated in Great Britain, even if they are employed on a non-UK flagged ship, and that ship spends most of its time outside Great Britain.

Shipping: Minimum Wage

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will instruct the Working Group conducting the Post Implementation Review of the Equality Act 2010 (Work on Ships and Hovercraft) Regulations 2011 to (a) review and (b) make recommendations on enforcement of the national minimum wage for seafarers employed on (i) UK and (ii) non-UK registered vessels.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I refer the honourable Member to my response of 29 January 2016 (UIN 24307) http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&uin=24307.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many local authorities have applied for funding from the permanent pothole fund since the announcement of that fund in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015; and how many applications for such funding his Department expects to be approved in (a) 2015-16 and (b) the 2015-20 Parliament.

Andrew Jones: The Department for Transport is providing over £6.1 billion funding to local highway authorities in England between 2015 and 2021 for local highways maintenance. This includes repairing roads that might be damaged due to severe winter weather. This funding includes £50 million per annum from 2016 to 2021 for a dedicated Pothole Action Fund as announced in the recent Spending Review. The Department for Transport is currently working up criteria on how the Pothole Action Fund will operate and an announcement will be made in due course on this. Therefore no applications have yet been submitted nor have any decisions been made on how this funding will be allocated.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

John Mc Nally: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on new emissions tests for cars.

Andrew Jones: I have held regular discussions with my ministerial colleagues on the new European emissions tests for cars. The Government strongly supports the ‘Real Driving Emissions’ agreement, which is expected to reduce significantly real world oxides of nitrogen emissions from diesel cars.

Great Western Railway Line: Electrification

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2015 to Question 14462, what the benefit: cost ratio was of the Great Western Main Line electrification programme on the latest date for which figures are available.

Claire Perry: Network Rail is continuing to refine its work schedule for delivering the Great Western Route Modernisation programme and the Hendy Report is currently the subject of a consultation with stakeholders. A revised benefit-cost ratio for the programme will be produced after the conclusion of these important strands of work.

British Transport Police

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of police officers in the British Transport Police in (a) 2015-16, (b) 2016-17, (c) 2017-18, (d) 2018-19 and (e) 2019-20.

Claire Perry: I refer the Honourable Member to my answer of 11 January 2016 to the Hon Member for Dewsbury (Paula Sheriff), UIN 20568 http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&uin=20568.

High Speed Two

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when HS2 Ltd plans to update its Register of Assurances and Undertakings to include agreements made after 23 September 2015.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The publication date for the next iteration of the draft register of Undertakings & Assurances will be 26th February. This iteration will include all undertakings and assurances given up to and including 4 February 2016.

Speed Limits: Cameras

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many camera sites that contain speed cameras there are on (a) the Strategic Roads Network, and (b) the trunk road network in England.

Andrew Jones: The number of permanent sites that contain speed cameras on the strategic road network is 206. Of these, 76 camera sites are on the motorway network and 130 camera sites are on all-purpose trunk roads.

Driving under Influence: Drugs

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department spent on advertising to raise awareness of the dangers of drug driving in 2014-15.

Andrew Jones: In 2014-15 the Department’s THINK! Drug Drive campaign supported the drug drive legislation change by informing an ‘all adult’ audience about the new law and its consequences using PR and local press ads. In addition, we targeted those most likely to drug drive (young males aged 17-34) to challenge and deter them from drug driving, using radio, digital display, video on demand and outdoor advertising. The total spent on advertising was £1.4m.

Railways: South West

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Oral Answer of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport of 28 January 2016, Official Report, columns 408-9, on rail infrastructure South-West, what progress his Department has made on funding the technical feasibility  study referred to in that Answer.

Claire Perry: We are absolutely committed to making sure that the South West has the best infrastructure possible and we are determined to do everything possible to stop damage like we saw in 2014 happening again. That is why we have invested £31 million into improving the resilience of the route, Network Rail spent £40 million on repairing and strengthening the line at Dawlish after the extreme weather, and routine maintenance continues to strengthen the line further. We are working with Network Rail and the Peninsula Rail Task Force as they explore the potential for longer-term improvements in the area, and decisions on funding for these improvements will be taken in due course.

Home Office

Offences against Children

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to safeguard 16 and 17 year olds from child sexual exploitation.

Karen Bradley: Tackling child sexual exploitation is a top priority for this Government. We have prioritised child sexual abuse as a national threat in the Strategic Policing Requirement, setting a clear expectation on police forces to collaborate across force boundaries, to safeguard children, to share intelligence and to share best practice.The Government has overhauled the legislative options available to the police in tackling child sexual exploitation. Most importantly we have introduced new Sexual Risk Orders (SRO) and Sexual Harm Prevention Orders (SHPO) which the police can now use to manage an individual who presents a risk of sexual harm to a child, including a young person aged 16 and 17. The Government has also removed all references to the misleading and unhelpful terms ‘child prostitution’ and ‘child pornography’ from statute via the Serious Crime Act 2015. The law now explicitly recognises these harmful activities for what they are: child sexual exploitation.This Government is committed to supporting victims of sexual exploitation, in December 2014 the Government announced a £7 million uplift to services supporting survivors of sexual abuse, including child sexual exploitation. This was in addition to the £1.72 million a year the Home Office provides to part fund 87 Independent Sexual Violence Advisors to work with and support victims. In January 2016, the Ministry of Justice announced that Government will continue the £7 million uplift to support survivors and victims of sexual abuse, including child sexual exploitation.

Police: Sports

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the cost of policing operations for sporting events across the UK in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Mike Penning: The Home Office does not routinely collect the cost of policing operations in England and Wales. It is an operational decision for Chief Officers, working with their Police and Crime Commissioner, to determine how their available resources are used according to local priorities.

Offences against Children

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many grants have been issued to organisations supporting victims and survivors of child sexual exploitation as part of the £7 million provision referred to in the report, Tackling Sexual Exploitation, published in March 2015; what the size of those grants has been; and which organisations received such grants.

Karen Bradley: In recognition of the fact that organisations providing specialised support services to victims of child sexual abuse are experiencing increased demand on their services, the Home Office and Ministry of Justice announced an additional £7 million for services supporting survivors of sexual violence in 2014/15 and 2015/16, including victims of child sexual exploitation.£2.15 million of that £7 million was provided as extra funding to 84 existing Rape Support Centres. The remainder was used to establish a £2 million Child Abuse Inquiry Support Fund to non-statutory organisations who are reporting an increase in demand as a direct result of the announcement of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. A further £2.85 million was used to establish a Child and Adult Victims of Sexual Abuse Support Fund for non-statutory organisations providing support across England and Wales to help meet the increased demand on their services.The administration of these funds and final decisions on allocation have been led by the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Norfolk, with the close support of the Home Office. Details of the 85 organisations funded were published by the Norfolk PCC (www.norfolk-pcc.gov.uk).The Ministry of Justice and Home Office have protected a further £7 million of funding in 2016-17 for non-statutory organisation supporting victims of sexual violence, including child sexual abuse and exploitation.

Asylum: Syria

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what further steps she is taking to ensure that unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in Syria can be resettled in the UK through (a) the Gateway Protection Programme, (b) the Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme, (c) the Mandate Refugee Scheme and (d) other schemes or programmes.

James Brokenshire: Since the launch of the expanded Syrian Resettlement Scheme last September, we have resettled more than 1000 vulnerable Syrians, around half of whom are children.On 28th January the Government announced further initiatives to assist unaccompanied children in the region. The initiatives will complement the very significant existing aid and assistance the UK has given in response to the Syrian conflict and migration crisis; including our existing resettlement programmes.As announced last week, the Government will work with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to lead a new initiative to identify and resettle unaccompanied children in the exceptional cases where it is in the child’s best interests to do so. The UK Government is working with UNHCR to establish the numbers and specific needs of these unaccompanied children in order to establish a resettlement process which best addresses the requirements of these vulnerable children.

South Yorkshire Police

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will establish an independent panel or an independent public inquiry into events at Orgreave in June 1984.

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the implications are for her Department's policies of the legal submission given to her on 15 December 2015 by the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign on the confrontation between police and miners at Orgreave in June 1984.

Mike Penning: On 21 July 2015 the Home Secretary met a group of MPs, a Welsh Assembly Member, Michael Mansfield QC and members of the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign (OTJC), led by Louise Haigh MP, to discuss their calls for a public inquiry to be established following the publication of the IPCC scoping review into the policing of events at Orgreave in 1984.Following this meeting, on 15 December 2015 the Home Secretary received a submission from the OTJC containing their arguments for establishing a public inquiry into the events at Orgreave. That 85 page submission raises a range of extensive issues which the Home Secretary is currently considering fully and in detail before responding. She will set out the Government’s position in due course.

Asylum: Housing

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been accommodated in hostel-type accommodation provided by Compass in each Compass region in each month since 1 April 2015; and how many such people have been held under (a) section 98, (b) section 95 and (c) section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.

James Brokenshire: In general, there are two types of accommodation used for asylum seekers. First, Initial Accommodation (“IA”) which is mainly full board and is provided while the support application is being assessed. Second, “dispersal accommodation”, generally shared flats, maisonettes and houses, is provided once the person is found to be eligible for support. The length of time someone will stay in an Initial Accommodation centre will vary from person to person according to their particular circumstances. However, the Home Office aims to process their application for financial support and move straightforward cases to longer term dispersal accommodation in participating dispersal towns and cities within 19 days.The Home Office does not centrally record the number of people housed in initial accommodation under each section of the 1999 Act. It could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Police: Wales

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she last discussed funding for armed police response with each of the four Welsh police commissioners.

Mike Penning: Home Office Ministers have meetings with a wide variety of partners, as well as organisations and individuals such as Police and Crime Commissioners, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of these meetings are passed to the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis and are subsequently published on the Gov.uk website: http://data.gov.uk/dataset/ministerial-data-home-office

Offences against Children

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to paragraph 37 of the document Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation, published by the Government in March 2015, what progress her Department has made on the establishment of a national task force of specialist professionals to support local authorities where child sexual exploitation is a particular concern.

Karen Bradley: The Government’s ‘Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation’ report launched in March 2015 announced the establishment of a new national taskforce to help local areas faced with significant concerns relating to high volumes of child sexual exploitation.We are currently finalising the way the taskforce, to be known as the Child Sexual Exploitation Response Unit, will work. The Response Unit will be launched in the Spring.The Response Unit will provide help to local areas experiencing particular issues and/or high volumes of child sexual exploitation cases by offering a range of support including advice from expert practitioners who have first-hand experience of tackling child sexual exploitation.

Mining: Industrial Disputes

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will establish an independent inquiry into the cases of 792 miners in Wales who were arrested during the miners' strike in 1984.

Mike Penning: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Iran: Capital Punishment

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will urge the Iranian authorities to commute immediately the death sentences of the juvenile offenders identified in the report, Growing up on death row: the death penalty and juvenile offenders in Iran, published by Amnesty International on 26 January 2010.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We have made clear to Iran, as we do with all countries, our opposition to the use of the death penalty in all circumstances, and will continue to urge them to put an immediate moratorium on their use of the death penalty, whether for juvenile or adult offenders.

Zika Virus

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of possible links between trafficking of women and girls and the spread of the Zika virus.

Mr David Lidington: We are aware of meetings this week in Geneva of the WHO International Health Regulations Emergency Committee, to consider whether the Zika outbreak should be designated a public health emergency of international concern. We are not aware of a connection being made with human trafficking. Were such a connection substantiated, it would be an added reason for taking firm action to eradicate this crime. Modern slavery is a global crime and requires a strong and collaborative international response. The Government's Modern Slavery Strategy commits the Government to tackle modern slavery by working with multi-lateral institutions, foreign governments, civil society organisations and faith groups. The Government and the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner have been successful in working with other Governments to include a commitment to end modern slavery in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The UK government successfully pushed for a Commonwealth Heads of Government commitment on this issue. The UK was also the first country in the world to bring in transparency in supply chains legislation, through the 2015 Modern Slavery Act, which requires businesses operating in the UK with a turnover of over £36 million to report annually on what they are doing to prevent modern slavery in their global supply chains.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Data Protection

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2016 to Question 23481, which commercial third party suppliers were responsible for the 57 breaches in handling secure materials there identified.

Mr David Lidington: The third party suppliers responsible were BAE Systems, Daisy, Computacenter, Vodafone and Capgemini.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Data Protection

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2016 to Question 23481, of the 57 breaches in handling secure materials there identified, how many breaches concerned documents within each of the following categories applicable prior to April 2014, namely (a) top secret, (b) secret, (c) confidential, (d) restricted, (e) protected and (f) unclassified; and how many breaches concerned documents within each of the following categories applicable from April 2014, namely (i) top secret, (ii) secret and (iii) official-sensitive or official.

Mr David Lidington: The figures quoted in my answer of 28 January to written question 23481 referred only to the period since April 2014. The information on breaches prior to April 2014 are not held centrally and could be collated only at disproportionate cost. The number of breaches from April 2014 onwards are as follows:Classification: Top SecretNumber:1Comment:There was no loss of data related to this breach.Classification:SecretNumber: 0Classification:ConfidentialNumber:12Comment:The Confidential classification pre-dates the introduction of the Government Security Classifications (GSCs).Classification:Official-SensitiveNumber:43Comment:Official - Sensitive is not a classification under GSC and is a caveat. Materials designated Official or Official-Sensitive does have a level of protection; however loss of its control does not warrant a breach as per existing Cabinet Office guidelines.Classification:OfficialNumber:1

Kosovo: Islamic State

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to address increasing numbers of ISIS fighters in Kosovo; and what support the UK is offering to authorities in Kosovo to tackle this issue.

Mr David Lidington: We are concerned about the rise of Daesh foreign fighters across Europe, including in Kosovo and are engaging in a range of ways to reduce the risk to the UK. We have encouraged Kosovo to put in place the necessary measures, including legislation and counter-extremism strategies. Last year, Kosovo adopted legislation making it illegal to join in armed conflicts outside its territory and approved a 2015-2020 Counter Extremism Strategy. We, along with other international donors, are identifying areas in the action plan where we can offer support. In addition, our wider assistance to Kosovo targets social exclusion and seeks to promote jobs and growth, which are key to mitigating the risks of marginalisation and radicalisation of Kosovo's youth. Kosovo is a member of the Global Coalition Against Daesh and, at the UK’s invitation, has joined the Strategic Communications Working Group, which the UK co-chairs.

Capital Punishment

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking with his global counterparts to achieve global abolition of the death penalty.

Mr David Lidington: I refer the Right hon. Member to my answer of 27 January (question 23192) to the hon. Member for Chesterfield (Toby Perkins). https://wqa.parliament.uk/Questions/Details/29682

Iran: Armed Forces

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the government of Iran on the 15 per cent increase in its budget for the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps; and what assessment he has made of the potential implications of that increase for regional security.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We remain concerned about Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) activity in the region, and most recently raised our concerns about regional security with Iran on 20 January in Tehran. The IRGC is a proscribed organisation by the EU, listed due to actions relating to Iran’s support for terrorism and human rights reasons.

Iran: Religious Freedom

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will discuss freedom of religion with his Iranian counterpart.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I discuss many issues with my Iranian counterparts. I have repeatedly called on the Iranian Government to end all persecution of individuals on the basis of their faith, and to guarantee the human rights of all Iranians, regardless of belief, and I will continue to do so.

Zika Virus

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support his Department is planning to give to countries affected by the Zika virus.

Mr Hugo Swire: British officials across the Americas have been working closely with their counterparts on steps to understand and prevent the spread of the disease. We have focused particularly on Brazil, which has seen the highest number of cases in the region. On 26 January, the UK announced a new Zika research project between Glasgow University and Fiocruz, a leading biomedical research centre in Brazil. The following day, a scientist from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine arrived in Recife to support Zika research led by the Pan American Health Organsation. Discussions are also ongoing between FCO officials and the Brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency with regards to combating this virus. On 1 February, the World Health Organisation (WHO) categorised the outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. This declaration by the WHO allows for the immediate allocation of emergency funds to support their necessary medical research. The United Kingdom is already the WHO’s second largest donor, providing a £15 million assessed contribution in 2015 in addition to a further, voluntary, contribution from the Department For International Development (DFID) of £14.5 million.

Iran: Politics and Government

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with democratic opposition parties in Iran; and what his Department's policy is on working with opposition parties to achieve greater political stability in that region.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I have had no recent discussions with opposition parties in Iran. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office works across the region with a range of stakeholders in support of regional security.

Conscientious Objectors

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which of the countries listed in the Human Rights and Democracy Report have been highlighted as lacking respect for conscientious objection; and what representations he has made to his counterpart in each such country on this matter.

Mr David Lidington: The UK Government recognises that conscientious objection can be regarded as a human right under Article 18 of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights. The UK co-sponsored a UN Human Rights Council resolution on conscientious objection to military service in 2013. It is important that all states live up to their international obligations to protect freedom of thought, conscience and religion. The UK Government does not specifically monitor respect for conscientious objection in individual countries.

Wales Office

Tata Steel

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will place in the Library the action plan produced by the current Tata Steel Task Force.

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, when the next meeting of the Tata Steel Task Force is due to take place; and who will attend that meeting as a representative of his Department.

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, who from his Department attended the Tata Steel Task Force meeting on (a) 20 January 2016 and (b) 1 February 2016.

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will place in the Library copies of the minutes of the Tata Steel Task Force meetings on 20 January 2016 and 1 February 2016.

Stephen Crabb: The Welsh Taskforce was convened on 20 January and met subsequently on 1 February. The next meeting will be held on 15 February. The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth, attended the meeting on 1 February and will attend future meetings whenever practicable. Due to prior commitments he was unable to attend the first meeting and the Wales Office Director represented the Department. UK Government officials also attend Taskforce meetings. The Taskforce is chaired by Welsh Government Minister for Economy, Science and Transport, Edwina Hart. Minutes of the Taskforce and any agreed programme of work are matters for the Welsh Government.

Mining: Industrial Disputes

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will release all departmental papers relating to the role his Department allegedly played in co-ordinating and facilitating strike breaking activities during the miners' strike in 1984.

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office holds no records of the papers referred to. When the National Assembly for Wales was established in 1999, all documents held by the Welsh Office at that point were transferred to the Assembly.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Students: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many people in (a) Warrington and (b) Warrington North constituency are in receipt of student maintenance grants.

Joseph Johnson: Statistics showing the number of English applicants awarded Maintenance Grants are published annually by the Student Loans Company (SLC) in the Statistical First Release ‘Student Support for Higher Education in England’.http://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/financial-support-awarded/england-higher-education.aspx Data provided by the SLC indicates that there were: (a) 1,720 applicants from Warrington, and (b) 760 applicants from Warrington North, awarded Maintenance Grants in the academic year 2014/15. An awarded applicant will only receive payments once SLC have received confirmation from the applicant’s provider that the student has been registered on the course.

Economic Growth: Dorset

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the terms are of the Dorset Growth Deal; and how much funding from the public purse has been provided to the Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership.

Anna Soubry: To date Dorset LEP has received £88.3m in funding (£79m from the Local Growth Fund and £9.3m from the Growing Places Fund) to support investment in schemes that drive local economic growth, along with £1.88m in grants.

Exports: Cardiff South and Penarth

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate the value of exports from firms based in Cardiff South and Penarth constituency to (a) the EU (b) the US and (c) China in each year of the last six years.

Anna Soubry: Regional trade statistics at the constituency level are not available. Data showing the value of exports of goods from firms registered for VAT in Wales to the EU, the US and China in each year of the last six years are available from the HM Revenue and Customs’ Regional Trade Statistics database.

Department for International Development

Malawi: Internet

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department has programmes to facilitate access to the internet in Malawi.

Mr Nick Hurd: DFID’s Digital Strategy aims to ensure that digital processes pervade all of DFID’s work, from communications to policy making and programmes. We want to ensure the poorest and most marginalised people in developing countries benefit from the added value digital can bring, including by giving citizens access to information and services quickly and affordably.DFID does not currently directly support programmes to facilitate access to the internet in Malawi. DFID is currently developing programme plans for 2016-21 and is exploring how to support an increased uptake of Information and Communications Technology in Malawi. This will include consideration of whether and how DFID can support an increased uptake of internet-based services as well as an increase in awareness of the potential of internet and digital marketing tools for businesses.

Nepal: Earthquakes

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make an assessment of the effect on Nepal's recovery from the 2015 earthquake of India closing border crossings into Nepal.

Mr Desmond Swayne: We are deeply concerned about the impact of the blockages at the India-Nepal border on the supply and distribution of humanitarian goods. DFID is working on the ground to make sure that vital supplies reach those affected by the earthquake of early 2015. Through its partners, DFID is providing winter support to approximately 42,000 families (over 200,000 people). We welcome the adoption of the National Reconstruction Authority Bill and formation of the National Reconstruction Authority.DFID and FCO Ministers have discussed their concerns with Ministers from the Governments of Nepal and India. The British Ambassador in Kathmandu is also working closely with others in the international community and is in close contact with Prime Minister Oli and his cabinet.There has been an increase in the level of goods, including fuel, entering Nepal via India. Despite the main border crossing between the two countries remaining closed, between 60-70% of the usual amount of goods are entering Nepal through alternative border crossings.

Developing Countries: Female Genital Mutilation

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will raise with the UN the need for all member states to endorse the international campaign against female genital mutilation.

Mr Nick Hurd: The UK has taken the lead internationally in supporting the African-led movement to end female genital mutilation. We lead by example, as the largest donor ever, investing £35m over 5 years in a programme in 17 countries. Last year we successfully worked with others to push for the inclusion of an indicator on female genital mutilation in the Global Goals that applies not only to some, but to all countries. We co-sponsored the UN General Assembly resolutions on female genital mutilation in 2012 and 2014.In 2014, the Prime Minister co-hosted Girl Summit with UNICEF, which galvanised unprecedented international support. Girl Summit secured 500 signatories to a charter and over 170 commitments from governments, civil society and individuals. Increased funding was committed to the UN Joint Programmes on female genital mutilation and child, early and forced marriage. We continue to urge others to do more.

Developing Countries: Zika Virus

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what UK bilateral and (b) multilateral funding to support health care system strengthening in countries determined by the WHO to be affected by, or at risk from the Zika virus, has been in each of the last six years.

Mr Nick Hurd: The table below shows UK bilateral disbursements, against a number of OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) health related classifications, to countries on the WHO list of those affected, or likely to be affected, by the Zika virus. These include basic health care, communicable disease control, health education and health personnel development, all of which contribute to strengthening health systems. Table: UK ODA spend on health 2009-2014 £’000200920102011201220132014Barbados3 Brazil131,4612,7794911,23387Costa Rica 191Dominican Republic 10 16  Ecuador   35 Guatemala26 Guyana  22  Haiti 1,000Honduras9 Mexico611,061105835202363Nicaragua2190Paraguay  32  Venezuela 7Total3222,7302,8901,3491,4481,450Source: Statistics on International Development 2015 The UK has also provided support to these countries through core contributions to multilateral organisations, but data on expenditure on specific sectors to specific countries is not available. DFID and the Department of Health will request the World Health Organisation to provide further guidance on which countries beyond those currently affected are at greatest risk from Zika, including the risks to other regions including Sub Saharan Africa and South Asia; this is scientifically very challenging.

Developing Countries: Poliomyelitis

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much UK aid will be spent on the Global Polio Eradication Initiative by 2020.

Mr Nick Hurd: The UK is fully committed to polio eradication and is the third largest donor to global polio eradication. By 2019, the UK will have invested more than £900 million on the Global Polio Eradication Initiative since its creation in 1988. Of this £900 million, £85 million is still to be disbursed by 2019.Polio eradication is poised to be one of the greatest public health success stories of all time and UK support has been critical in bringing us one step closer to the finish line, something people across the country can be immensely proud of.

Libya: Overseas Aid

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2016 to Question 24446, what reports her Department has received from the International Committee of the Red Cross on the spending by that body of humanitarian relief funds from her Department for humanitarian relief in Libya.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID’s £2 million funding to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Libya was given in response to their 2015 Budget Extension Appeal. The ICRC will submit to DFID, in accordance with agreed ICRC standard reporting timelines, an Annual Report, Financial Report and Annual Audited Accounts by June 2016.

Department for Education

Academies: Governing Bodies

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many multi-academy trusts do not have local governing bodies with powers comparable to those of maintained schools.

Edward Timpson: In a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT), individual academies do not have a separate legal identity and are all under the control of the trust board. Whether the trust board establishes local governing boards for each academy is a matter for the trust board to determine. In all cases the trust board remains accountable for all academies in the MAT.The Academies Financial Handbook[1] sets out that academy trusts must publish on their websites up-to-date details of their governance arrangements in a readily accessible form. Trusts must also publish the names of their members and trustees, and the membership of any committees, in their annual financial statements, a copy of which is sent to the Education Funding Agency and filed with the Companies Registrar. Trusts are also required to inform EFA of the names of their chair of trustees, accounting officer and chief financial officer.[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academies-financial-handbook-2015

Academies: Governing Bodies

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on multi-academy trust governance arrangements.

Edward Timpson: As at 1 February 2016 there are 2902 academy trusts. Of these, 951 are Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) and 1951 are Single Academy Trusts.The Academies Financial Handbook[1] sets out that academy trusts must publish on their websites up-to-date details of their governance arrangements in a readily accessible form. Trusts must also publish the names of their members and trustees, and the membership of any committees, in their annual financial statements, a copy of which is sent to the Education Funding Agency and filed with the Companies Registrar. Trusts are also required to inform EFA of the names of their chair of trustees, accounting officer and chief financial officer.[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academies-financial-handbook-2015

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to extend the mental health and schools link pilot scheme to post-16 further education establishments.

Edward Timpson: The Department will make a decision on how to build on the outcome of the pilot once the training workshops have been delivered and the evaluation has been completed. This pilot is currently running in 27 Clinical Commissioning Group areas.Officials are working with the Association of Colleges to ensure that effective links are being made between the pilot areas and their local colleges, so that they are involved in the development of shared protocols and longer term planning for the provision of children’s mental health services.

Sixth Form Education: Admissions

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students were enrolled in (a) school sixth forms, (b) academy sixth forms and (c) 16 to 19 years free schools which have been established since September 2011 in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Nick Boles: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Schools: Admissions

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many appeals were heard by the Education Funding Agency and Local Government Ombudsman in relation to admissions decisions made by (a) academies, (b) academies which were previously maintained schools and (c) free schools in each year since 2009-10; how many such appeals were upheld; which schools were subject to those appeals; and what proportion of academies and free schools those schools represent.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Schools: Admissions

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many appeals were made by civil society organisations to the Education Funding Agency and Local Government Ombudsman in relation to admissions decisions made by (a) academies, (b) academies which were previously maintained schools and (c) free schools in each year since 2009-10.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Schools: Admissions

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and which (a) academies and (b) free schools applied to the Secretary of State to have their funding arrangements changed to allow them to vary their school admissions requirements in each year since 2009-10; and which such applications were approved.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Children: Day Care

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to include single parents who are in full-time employment in the extension of free childcare to 30 hours per week.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Single parents will be able to access the extended entitlement in the same way as two parent households. A single parent will need to earn a weekly minimum equivalent to 16 hours at national minimum wage or living wage. In addition, their income should not exceed £100,000. This will include employed and self-employed parents.

Children in Care

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many care leavers aged between 19 and 21 local authorities were in contact with in (a) 2014 and (b) 2015; and how many such care leavers were former unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many care leavers in (a) 2014 and (b) 2015 who were aged 19, 20 or 21 in 2013 and 2014 and housed in accommodation considered (i) suitable and (ii) unsuitable were former unaccompanied asylum-seeking children looked after by the local authority.

Edward Timpson: Information on care leavers in (a) 2014 and (b) 2015, who were aged 19, 20 and 21 in 2013 and 2014 is not available. However, the information for care leavers aged 19, 20, or 21 in 2014 and 2015 is shown in the tables below:Accommodation type2All care leavers aged 19, 20 or 21Of which, number that were former unaccompanied asylum seeking children¹2014201520142015Suitable20,57021,010240550Unsuitable1,6601,8401040Source: SSDA903All care leavers aged 19, 20 or 21 with whom the local authority were in touchOf which, number that were former unaccompanied asylum seeking children¹201420152014201521,98022,520260590Source: SSDA903Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.This includes young people who were unaccompanied asylum seeking children in their final period of care.Suitability of accommodation is not recorded where the young person has gone abroad, been deported or where their residence is not known.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Weapons

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on the number of weapons confiscated at each UK prison for each of the last five years.

Andrew Selous: Data on the confiscation of all types of weapons for the period requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost. I refer the Hon Member to PQ24706, which contains data on firearms, and PQ24558, which contains data on knives.

Ministry of Justice: Data Protection

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2016 to Question 23485, for what reasons the information sought could only be provided at disproportionate cost; and what discussions his Department has had with other Government departments on holding this information in a way which permits its less costly provision.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Justice is one of the largest government departments and has responsibility for a number of different parts of the justice system - the courts, tribunals, prisons, legal services, youth justice, probation services, and attendance centres. The Department includes terms and conditions in its contracts that require third parties such as contracted-out services and suppliers (e.g. courier and postal services) to inform us of any data or security breaches that may have taken place. To identify any breaches involving document retention or security policies relating to confidential or secure materials by external consultants or other third parties that may have taken place would require a search across all the Department’s branches, which would incur a disproportionate cost.

Prisons: Homicide

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, in which prisons the eight apparent homicides referred to in the Safety in Custody Statistics, England and Wales: Deaths in prison custody to December 2015; Assaults and Self-harm to September 2015, published on 28 January 2016, took place.

Dominic Raab: The eight apparent homicides occurred at the following prisons: HMP Dartmoor, HMP Doncaster, HMP Long Lartin, HMP Nottingham, HMP Peterborough, HMP Ranby, HMP Swaleside, HMP Wandsworth.The classification of these deaths remains provisional until confirmed at inquest.

Ministry of Justice: Performance Appraisal

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice of 26 January 2016, Official Report, column 129, how many staff in his Department were given an end-of-year appraisal rating of outstanding in each year since 2010.

Dominic Raab: The new Ministry of Justice (MoJ) appraisal system incorporates a guided distribution which sets the parameters for the number of Outstanding, performance markings. MoJ adopted a staggered approach to implementing the new cross government performance management system. Launch dates were as follows: MoJ HQ, agencies Arms Length Bodies (excluding National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and National Probation Service (NPS)) - April 2013NOMS - April 2014NPS - June 2014Please note that the term Outstanding was not used across all MoJ business groups prior to the introduction of the new system.  2010-20112011-122012-132013-142014-15Top Performance Management Review Markings Total1158710892910092527580

Public Sector: Pay

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice of 26 January 2016, Official Report, column 129, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on lifting the one per cent public sector pay cap.

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice of 26 January 2016, Official Report, column 129, what pay rise in percentage terms, in each salary band in his Department, staff have received in each financial year since 2010-11.

Dominic Raab: The Treasury sets public sector pay policy, which includes the 1% cap, in line with wider government priorities. This policy has been subject to agreement with the Prime Minister and consultation within the government at Ministerial level.In line with the pay freeze announced by the Government in the June Budget 2010, the pay of staff employed by the Ministry of Justice in 2011-12 and 2012-13 earning a full time equivalent of £21,000 or less received pay increases of up to £250. MoJ exited the pay freeze on 1 August 2013. Since then MOJ staff received pay awards averaging at 1% each year, in line with the Government policy.

Detainees: Death

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will issue a response to the Dying for Justice report published by the Institute of Race Relations in March 2015.

Dominic Raab: Every death in custody is a tragedy. Each one is investigated independently by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman or the Independent Police Complaints Commission, and is the subject of a coroner’s inquest. Every effort is made to learn lessons from these investigations, and the prevention of further deaths is a priority for police, prisons and immigration detention services. The very small number of cases in which criminal offences are believed to have been committed are referred for further investigation by the police and/or to the Crown Prosecution Service, and where appropriate charges are brought. The final outcome in such cases is a matter for the courts. The Dying for Justice report by the Institute of Race Relations, published in March 2015, highlighted the particular issue of deaths of Black and Minority Ethnic people in custody The Government is not intending to issue a response to the report though has considered its findings. The report acknowledges some of the improvements that have been made during that period. It also reminds us of the enduring nature of many of the issues related to deaths in custody, particularly that the families of the deceased and others in the Black and Minority Ethnic community continue to lack confidence that appropriate action is being taken in response to such deaths. The Government is working to address this, for example through more effective liaison with families, as well as improvements to restraint techniques and training. The Prime Minister has asked David Lammy MP to lead a review of the Criminal Justice System in England and Wales to investigate evidence of possible bias against black defendants and other ethnic minorities. With significant overrepresentation of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) individuals in the criminal justice system, the review will consider their treatment and outcomes to identify and help tackle potential bias or prejudice.

Administration of Justice

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average time was between (a) a crime being committed and an offender being sentenced, (b) sentencing and an appeal hearing, (c) end of trial to sentencing and (d) charge and the commencement of a trial in (i) England and Wales, (ii) London, (iii) each local justice area in London and (iv) each court in London in each year since 2010.

Dominic Raab: Information on average time between a crime being committed and an offender being sentenced, sentencing and an appeal hearing and end of trial to sentencing is not held. Information on the average number of days taken from charge to main hearing for Crown Court criminal cases in England and Wales is published regularly as part of the Criminal Courts Statistics Quarterly, found at www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-court-statistics. The requested information can be found in the main tables, in Table T4.

Reoffenders

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people convicted of a terrorism offence had previously served a custodial sentence in each year since 2010.

Dominic Raab: The information below records the number of offenders convicted under Terrorism Act (TACT) legislation in each calendar year since 1 January 2013 who had previously served a custodial sentence. Information prior to 2013 is not available. In 2013, 25 offenders were convicted of TACT offences, none of which had previously served a custodial sentence. In 2014, 17 offenders were convicted of TACT offences, of which 1 had previously served a custodial sentence. In 2015, 37 offenders were convicted of TACT offences, of which 2 had previously served a custodial sentence.

Aiding and Abetting

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been convicted under joint enterprise in each year since 2010.

Mike Penning: The Court Proceedings Database shows how many defendants were prosecuted and convicted for each offence in a given year. It does not show what percentage of those were prosecuted and convicted following their involvement in group offending; or what role each person played within the enterprise. Such information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Insurance Companies

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2016 to Question 21806, what commitment he received from insurance industries that savings from government reforms would be passed on to consumers; and what steps he plans to take to ensure that such commitments are monitored and transparent.

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer to the Question 21806 of 19 January 2016, on personal injury: compensation, whether the meeting on 8 December 2015 was the first meeting of Ministers  with insurance industry representatives on reform of personal injury claims since May 2015.

Dominic Raab: On 8 December 2015, at a meeting with Ministers, representatives of leading insurers committed to pass on savings to consumers through lower premiums following the implementation of Government reforms. The Government will be monitoring the industry’s reaction to these reforms closely.The meeting on 8 December 2015 was the first Ministerial meeting with insurers to discuss the reforms announced in the Autumn Statement on 25 November. Lord Faulks subsequently met representatives from the claimant lawyer sector at the end of January 2016. Officials had previously met with both insurers and claimant lawyer representatives to discuss the reforms.

Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission

UK Membership of EU: Referendums

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what recent assessment the Electoral Commission has made of the potential effect of the date of the EU referendum on mayoral, local, and devolved institutions' elections.

Mr Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission recently wrote to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, following that Committee’s recent evidence session, on a number of issues, including the potential impact of the date of the referendum if it were to be held in June. A copy of the letter is available on the Committee’s website.

Church Commissioners

Churches: Blackburn

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, on how many occasions buildings or parts of buildings have been made available by the Diocese of Blackburn and churches within its boundaries to (a) Christians Against Poverty and (b) other organisations providing debt counselling and employment services or campaigning against poverty.

Mrs Caroline Spelman: The Diocese of Blackburn and the National Church Institutions of the Church of England do not hold these details and obtaining the information would incur disproportionate cost.The Church of England works with a wide variety of debt advice charities at a national and local level. Many parishes will offer space in buildings or allow debt advice surgeries to be held in their churches. Parish clergy often are the first port of call for people in need and regularly signpost individuals to where the most appropriate help and support can be found.

Scotland Office

Asylum: Scotland

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the screening of asylum seekers in Scotland.

David Mundell: UK and Scottish Government officials have regular discussions regarding immigration matters, including screening of asylum seekers in Scotland.

Abortion: Scotland

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with (a) ministers in the Scottish Government and (b) women's organisations on devolving competence for abortion legislation to Scotland.

David Mundell: I have regular discussions with the Scottish Government’s Deputy First Minister on all aspects of our implementation of the Smith Commission Agreement, including the devolution of responsibility for abortion law to the Scottish Parliament. UK and Scottish Government officials will continue to work closely on this issue. I have had discussions with representatives of women’s organisations on this matter. However, with the transfer of responsibility to the Scottish Parliament, it is primarily for the Scottish Government to take forward engagement with interested parties. Scottish Government Ministers have met with representatives of a number of stakeholder organisations to discuss the devolution of abortion law and the delivery of abortion services in Scotland.

Department for Work and Pensions

EU Globalisation Fund: Iron and Steel

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to apply to the EU's Globalisation Adjustment Fund for funding for the UK steel industry.

Priti Patel: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 10 November 2015 to question UIN 14404

Funeral Payments

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications for Social Fund funerals were made in each year between 2010 and 2015; how many such applications were refused; and what the (a) budget and (b) lowest payment made was.

Justin Tomlinson: Table 1 shows the number of applications for Funeral Expenses Payments which were made and the number refused in the financial years 2010/11 to 2014/15.Table 1 Applications (000)Initial Refusals (000)2010/1169342011/1269362012/1366342013/1459272014/155124Data sourced from the DWP policy, Budget and Management Information System and is published in the Annual Report by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the Social Fund for the relevant year.The budget for the Social Fund, Funeral Expenses Payment (FEP) expenditure is demand-led. Legislation prescribes that payments are made to all eligible applicants. That is people responsible for arranging a funeral who meet the rules on relationships with the deceased and receive a qualifying benefit. Provision for FEPs is made by central Government through the supply estimate process, but these figures are not translated into an operational budget and do not impact eligibility or award amounts.In a minority of cases funeral expense payments are subsequently recovered from the deceased’s estate and in these cases the net amount can be very small. Given the small numbers involved it is not appropriate to release figures as there is a risk of identifying individuals.

Suicide

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what contribution his Department is making to the delivery and monitoring of the Preventing Suicide in England strategy with specific reference to people identified as being vulnerable due to social and economic circumstances.

Priti Patel: The Department for Health (DH) lead the Preventing Suicide in England Strategy and since 2014 have published two annual reports. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has provided information to contribute to the annual reports, to address the guidance and training it provides for staff and the DWP and DH joint work to look at improving co-ordination of mental health and employment support services.

Personal Independence Payment

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people (a) nationally and (b) in Hull undergoing dialysis (i) applied for and (ii) were awarded personal independence payment in each of the last three years.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested is not available as information on treatment is not recorded centrally.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 26 January 2016 to Question 23063, on universal credit, if he will ensure that each notification will also state the claimant's expected change in entitlement.

Priti Patel: Universal Credit entitlement is determined in arrears at the end of the assessment period. For that reason claimants are informed about their change in entitlements separately to the notification.

Personal Independence Payment

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the contribution of the Employment Minister at 1 February 2016 Official Report: column 638, if he will make it his policy to ensure that all individuals receiving dialysis and in-work qualify for personal independence payment.

Justin Tomlinson: We have no plans to do so. Entitlement to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is based on the effects of disability on a person's life and not on any particular or specific disability, illness or treatment received. The PIP assessment is designed to treat all health conditions and impairments fairly, including for those with renal or kidney disease. If someone is found to be entitled to PIP they can continue to receive the benefit whether they are in or out of work.   The Government provides a range of employment support for disabled people or people with health conditions that affect the way they work, such as: Access to Work, which offers financial awards to pay for additional support beyond an employer’s statutory duty to make reasonable adjustments; Work Choice, which provides tailored support to help unemployed disabled people enter and retain work; and Specialist Employability Support, which focuses on helping disabled people who need intensive, specialist support to either enter work or engage in employment related courses or activities.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many disabled people have been affected by the under-occupancy deduction from housing benefit to date.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Broadband

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will ask Ofcom to compare the predicted and actual proportion of BT's ducts that are able to have fibre blown through them without further civil works.

Mr Edward Vaizey: All ducts and poles in BT’s network beyond the telephone exchange are open to other providers, under the Passive Infrastructure Access obligation imposed by Ofcom, to provide primarily residential broadband services. In its Digital Communications Review. Ofcom is looking at the future role of passive infrastructure access in facilitating competition and innovation.

Radio Frequencies: Auctions

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what funding is available for programme making and special events licence users to encourage them to leave the 700 MHz band.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Ofcom have published a consultation outlining alternative spectrum bands for PMSE users. The PMSE community have been involved in the process to identify alternative suitable spectrum. We are currently working closely with Ofcom to look at how PMSE users can be supported if they need to purchase new equipment.

Literature: Wales

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to promote Welsh literature in the UK.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Arts Council England funds organisations nationwide including National Portfolio Organisations offering high quality creative and professional training to writers, particularly aimed at emerging talent and funds and supports individual writers/literature via the Grants for the Arts funding scheme. Literature Wales is the national company for the promotion and development of literature in Wales, and works with the support of the Arts Council of Wales and Welsh Government. Literature Wales receives an annual revenue grant from the Arts Council of Wales as well as a subsidy from the Arts Council's Lottery Funds

Broadband: West Yorkshire

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, by what date it is planned that 100 per cent of residents of (a) Calder Valley and (b) West Yorkshire will have access to superfast broadband.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Based on current delivery plans, it is estimated that 91% of premises in Calder Valley and 93% in West Yorkshire will have access to superfast broadband by the end of March 2018. Additional funding sources, including West Yorkshire’s share of the £129 million of early gainshare funding that BT will return in response to the high levels of take-up being achieved, will allow coverage to be extended further in Calder Valley and the rest of the area covered by the West Yorkshire broadband project. In addition, the Government's intention to implement a new broadband Universal Service Obligation will give people the legal right to request at 10Mbps connection, no matter where they live, by the end of this Parliament.

Broadband

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of households that will have access to superfast broadband in (a) 2016-17, (b) 2017-18, (c) 2018-19 and (d) 2019-20.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Broadband Delivery UK’s (BDUK) Superfast Broadband Programme remains on track to achieve 90% superfast broadband coverage within the next few months, and 95% by December 2017. In addition, the Government's intention to implement a new broadband Universal Service Obligation will give people the legal right to request at 10Mbps connection, no matter where they live, by the end of this Parliament.

S4C

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will ensure that he consults with S4C before any future agreement is reached with any third party affecting that company's budget.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government is committed to supporting S4C and values its service to Welsh speaking audiences. In order for S4C to continue to provide a first-class service and have a sustainable future, the Government announced (on Wednesday 3rd February) an extra £400,000 funding for 2016/17 and the intention to carry out a comprehensive review in 2017.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Private Rented Housing

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to introduce independent checks to ensure that rented properties are genuinely abandoned within the provisions of the Housing and Planning Bill.

Brandon Lewis: The new abandonment procedure will enable landlords to legally regain possession of their property where it has been abandoned, without the need to obtain a possession order. We have introduced a number of safeguards to ensure that tenants are adequately protected against potential misuse of the procedure. These include a requirement that at least 8 weeks or 2 months rent is unpaid and requiring the landlord to serve at least 3 warning notices before they can repossess the property.

Housing: Northamptonshire

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much Northamptonshire County Council received under the New Homes Bonus in each year since 2010.

Brandon Lewis: The New Homes Bonus was introduced in 2011. To date the total New Homes Bonus payments allocated to Northamptonshire County Council is £4,737,550.  The annual breakdown is shown in the table below: Year 1(2011-2012)£647,233Year 2(2012-2013)£783,561Year 3(2013-2014)£674,225Year 4(2014-2015)£659,096Year 5(2015-2016)£931,180Year 6(2016-2017) - provisional allocation£1,042,255Total £4,737,550

Housing: Northamptonshire

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much East Northamptonshire Council received under the New Homes Bonus in each year since 2010.

Brandon Lewis: The New Homes Bonus was introduced in 2011. To date the total New Homes Bonus payments allocated to East Northamptonshire District Council is £2,626,043.  The annual breakdown is shown in the table below: Year 1(2011-2012)£355,008  Year 2(2012-2013)£ 551,047  Year 3(2013-2014)£ 311,916  Year 4(2014-2015)£306,847  Year 5(2015-2016)£492,452  Year 6(2016-2017 - provisional allocation)£608,774  Total £2,626,043

Reoffenders: Young People

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the success rates of the troubled families programme in reducing re-offending among young adults.

Greg Clark: Holding answer received on 04 February 2016



Information published by my Department on 22 June 2015 shows that, during the original Troubled Families Programme (2012 to 2015), 104,733 were turned around through achieving reductions in youth crime, and/or anti-social behaviour, combined with satisfactory levels of school attendance.Under the provisions of the Welfare Reform and Work Bill, I will be reporting annually on the progress and impact of the new Troubled Families Programme which aims to reach up to an additional 400,000 families.

Community Land Trusts: Essex

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of brownfield land sites in the Essex County Council area have been re-designated as community land trusts in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: The Department does not hold information centrally on the amount or type of land held by Community Land Trusts.

Derelict Land: Greater Manchester

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will provide brownfield gap funding to bring brownfield land in Greater Manchester back into use for homes and business.

Brandon Lewis: In March 2015 the Greater Manchester Combined Authority contracted with the Department for a £300 million recyclable financial investment to accelerate delivery of up to 15,000 homes over 10 years. The Greater Manchester Combined Authority are aware that, in light of this contract, it will not be possible for bids from the Manchester area to be accepted for other central government housing investment programmes.

Floods: Leeds

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of businesses in Leeds who (a) applied and (b) were deemed eligible for the (i) business recovery grant, (ii) business rates relief and (c) Flood Resilience-Resistance grant since flooding over Christmas 2015.

James Wharton: Leeds City Council has to date received £4.7 million from the Community and Business Relief Scheme with more funding to follow once property numbers are finalised. Central Government will fully fund 100% Business Rates relief for a minimum of 3 months for any flooded business that meets the eligibility criteria. To date, Leeds City Council has received an advance payment of £586,863 for Business Rates relief.Shortly, we will be asking affected local authorities to provide data on how they have used their funding, but our task currently is to do everything we can to help towns and communities recover from these devastating floods.

Floods: European Union Solidarity Fund

John Mc Nally: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if the Government will apply for funding from the EU Solidarity Fund for relief payments for issues arising from recent flooding.

James Wharton: The Government will consider an application once the full costs are known. The European Union Solidarity Fund does not provide additional funding to local areas. It reimburses emergency costs that the Government would have incurred anyway. For this reason, the Government's immediate priority remains dealing with the urgent needs of those affected, which is why we have provided just under £200 million to help those affected by the floods to support recovery and repair.

Housing: Construction

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to ensure that local planning authorities maintain high homebuilding standards in large sustainable urban extensions.

Brandon Lewis: The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that good design is indivisible from good planning and should contribute to making places better for people. Our planning guidance reinforces this strong focus on design, and provides advice on tools for delivery – including design codes.All new homes also have to meet building regulations’ requirements. The Government has introduced new optional building regulations which means that for some requirements such as on access, local planning authorities can apply a higher standard than the national minimum requirements, where justified by need and provided that the viability of development is not compromised. The Government has also introduced a national space standard which local authorities can apply where justified by need and provided that the viability of development is not compromised.

Refuges: Greater London

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many domestic violence refuge places there were in (a) London and (b) each London borough on (i) 1 January 2010 and (ii) 1 January 2016.

Mr Marcus Jones: Data on the number of domestic violence refuge places is not held centrally. It is for local areas to assess their needs for domestic abuse services and to make decisions on the provision of safe accommodation, including refuges and support for victims of domestic abuse.

Ministry of Defence

Veterans: Mesothelioma

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if the Prime Minister will take steps to speed up the legal process for cases involving ex-service personnel who have contracted mesothelioma; and if he will consider awarding equal compensation to the relatives of service personnel who have died while the process is ongoing.

Mark Lancaster: The Government has continuously made compensation available under the War Pensions Scheme for injuries, illness or disease caused by service before 6 April 2005, including mesothelioma. On 11 January 2016 (Official Report, column 612-613) I informed the House that 11 April 2016 would be the earliest date from which we could provide the option of a lump sum payment to Service veterans diagnosed with mesothelioma on or after 16 December 2015. If an accepted claim is concluded before 11 April 2016 and the individual has opted for a lump sum, payment of a War Disablement Pension and any supplementary allowances will begin in the normal way until the lump sum can be paid. The lump sum will be reduced to reflect the amounts paid until that point. If a claimant who has signed an option form to receive the lump sum dies before 11 April 2016 the lump sum will be paid to the veteran's designated recipient.



20160111 - Hansard extract on Armed Forces Bill
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Syria: Military Intervention

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps UK forces take to avoid civilian casualties when targeting (a) oil facilities and (b) other infrastructure in Syria.

Penny Mordaunt: Regardless of the type of target being considered, the UK performs an assessment prior to every UK strike to assess the likelihood of any civilian casualties. This examines the impact of the strike on the surrounding area and whether there are likely to be any civilians present.The UK military takes every possible step to avoid civilian casualties.

Electronic Warfare

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure cyber defence capabilities and preparedness match developing threats.

Penny Mordaunt: The 2015 National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review identifies cyber security as a priority. We are actively monitoring cyber threats, and continually reviewing and adjusting our security measures. Defence and its people are prominent targets for criminals, foreign intelligence services and other malicious actors seeking to exploit personnel, disrupt business and operations, corrupt systems and steal information. This is not unique to the Ministry of Defence; other Government Departments, industry and business are also affected. The threats constantly changes in scope and complexity, and cyber security depends on a broad range of factors including human, technological and systematic. Our approach therefore spans technical, organisational, policy, procedural and physical measures, and also entails close collaboration with partner organisations across Government.

Ministry of Defence: Staff

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2016 to Question 23339, how many former employees of his Department applied to serve in foreign militaries under the Business Appointments process in each of the last five years.

Mark Lancaster: Fewer than five former employees of the Ministry of Defence applied to serve in foreign militaries between 1 April 2011 and 2 February 2016. Due to the low numbers, the breakdown by year has not been provided.

Islamic State: Military Intervention

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the operational capacity of the (a) Royal Navy and (b) RAF to extend military operations against ISIL/Daesh beyond Syria and Iraq.

Penny Mordaunt: The future operational capacities of the UK Armed Forces are set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review. Should there be a requirement for new military operations against Daesh beyond Syria and Iraq, these would need to be balanced against the commitments at the time and the capabilities available.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 26 January 2016 to Question 23171, to which countries RAF Reaper drones have been deployed on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sorties since 26 January 2016.

Penny Mordaunt: Since 26 January UK Reapers have been deployed on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations in Iraq and Syria.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2016 to Question 23290, for what reasons he will not make it his policy that the House be given the opportunity to debate any decision to deploy UK Reaper aircraft outside of Syria and Iraq.

Michael Fallon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend, the then Minister for the Armed Forces (Mark Francois), on 23 June 2014 (Official Report, column 99W), to the hon. Member for West Bromwich East (Tom Watson).



20140623-Hansard extract on Unmanned Air Vehicles
(Word Document, 14.44 KB)

Yemen: Military Intervention

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether British military advisers have been present in control rooms of the Saudi-led coalition engaged in conflict in Yemen.

Penny Mordaunt: We have deployed a small number of military personnel serving as liaison officers in Saudi headquarters to provide insight into Saudi operations. They remain under UK command and control. These liaison officers are not involved in the targeting process - whether it be the selection, decision making or directing.British personnel are not involved in carrying out strikes, directing or conducting operations in Yemen or selecting targets and are not involved in the Saudi targeting decision-making process.

HMS Cambria: Cardiff Bay

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the transfer of HMS Cambria to Cardiff Bay is expected to be completed.

Mark Lancaster: On current plans, completion is expected in the autumn of 2018.

Syria: Military Intervention

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2016 to Question 23435, whether it is his Department's position that the UK was a party to the armed conflict occurring in Syria at the time of the air strike on 21 August 2015.

Michael Fallon: An armed conflict was occurring in Syria at the time of the air strike on 21 August 2015. The UK's military strike was governed by international humanitarian law.

HM Treasury

Public Sector: Redundancy

Kevin Brennan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of public sector workers who (a) have been made redundant in the last five years and (b) will be made redundant in the next five years.

Greg Hands: The information requested on the number of public sector workers who have been made redundant in the past is available in the publication “Whole of Government Accounts”.The figures for 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 are published in Note 7 of the relevant Whole of Government Accounts under the section titled ‘Civil Service and Other Compensation Schemes- Exit Packages’ available on the following website: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/whole-of-government-accounts The Government does not forecast redundancy figures. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) publishes forecast changes in general government employment. These can be found in Table 1.12 of the Economic and Fiscal Outlook, Supplementary Tables here:http://budgetresponsibility.org.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-november-2015/

Public Sector: Redundancy Pay

Kevin Brennan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department will agree to Legislative Consent Motions to the devolved government on the issue of public sector exit payments.

Kevin Brennan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will place in the Library a timescale for the introduction of the proposed exit payment cap for the public sector.

Kevin Brennan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether any of the devolved administrations have refused to consent to the provisions dealing with public sector exit payments contained within the Enterprise Bill.

Greg Hands: The public sector exit payment cap will come into effect at a date after the Enterprise Bill has received Royal Assent. The Enterprise Bill is currently expected to receive Royal Assent by May 2016. A set of secondary regulations which will give effect to the public sector exit payment cap are currently expected to come into force during autumn 2016. In the response to the consultation the Government stated that ‘the government would request Legislative Consent Motions from the Devolved Administrations where appropriate, however it would be for the Devolved Administrations to decide the approach they wish to take to this measure.’ On 7 December 2015 the Northern Ireland Assembly declined to agree a Legislative Consent Motion. Subsequently, no provisions relating to Northern Ireland are included in the clauses relating to exit payments.

Public Sector: Redundancy Pay

Kevin Brennan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the proposed public sector exit payments cap on public sector employers' flexibility to restructure their workforce.

Kevin Brennan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will consult public sector organisations which would be affected by the proposed exit payment cap on the technical considerations of that cap.

Greg Hands: The Government maintains that £95,000 is a significant amount of money for anyone to be receiving for an exit, while the large majority of exit payments are already significantly below the level of the cap. Voluntary redundancy and workforce restructuring is not contingent upon access to six-figure exit payments. As such, we do not expect the cap to have a widespread impact on the take-up of voluntary redundancy, and believe the cap will enable public sector employers to retain the tools to effectively make organisational changes to their workforce whilst offering those made redundant generous provisions for loss of employment. The consultation on the public sector exit payment cap ran from 31 July to 27 August 2015, and received over 4000 responses. These responses included representations from public sector organisations. The Government will publish draft regulations and invite comment on them in due course.

Business: Tax Allowances

Stephen McPartland: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the annual cost to the to the Exchequer of all subsidies and reliefs for business in the financial years 2010 to 2015.

Greg Hands: Tax Reliefs HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) publishes the Exchequer cost for around 180 reliefs in its annual publication on the cost of tax reliefs. This list includes reliefs provided to both individuals and households as well as businesses. The data for the years 2012-13 to 2015-16 was published on 31 December 2015 and a link is provided below:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tax-expenditures-and-ready-reckoners The data for the years 2010-11 and 2011-12 were published in December 2011 and 2012 and a link is provided below:http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20121103081415/http://hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tax_expenditures/menu.htm http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130103073027/http://hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/expenditures.htm Public Spending Grants and Subsidies Information on ‘subsidies to private sector companies’ is published in Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses. A link is provided below:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/public-expenditure-statistical-analyses-2015 Table 2.1 on budgetary expenditure by economic category of spend includes this category on page 40 under ‘resource budgets’. Information is published for the last five outturn years.

Aviation: Taxation

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions his Department has had with the European Commission since the publication of the EU Aviation Strategy in December 2015; what assessment he has made of the effect of taxes and levies applied by member states on connectivity and competitiveness; what his Department's response to that strategy's conclusion on the effects of such taxes and levies conclusion is; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Gauke: HM Treasury takes note of the European Commission’s 2015 Aviation Strategy. The UK has the third largest aviation network in the world and a strongly performing aviation sector – passenger numbers grew 4% in 2014 compared to 2013 and are expected to show similar growth for 2015. In the absence of any taxation of international aviation fuel and no VAT on international or domestic flights, the Government levies air passenger duty (APD) on the carriage of passengers from UK airports. APD ensures that the aviation sector contributes its fair share in taxation towards reducing the deficit. However, like all taxes, APD is kept under review with any changes announced at fiscal events.

Banks: Redundancy Pay

Kevin Brennan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reasons Bradford and Bingley, the Royal Bank of Scotland and Northern Rock as publicly-funded banks are exempted from the public sector exit payments cap in the provisions of the Enterprise Bill.

Greg Hands: The Government’s partial ownership of Bradford and Bingley, the Royal Bank of Scotland and Northern Rock as is a temporary measure following the financial crisis and they will be returned to the private sector in due course. The Government believes this is fundamentally different to public sector bodies that receive ongoing funding from the taxpayer.

National Savings and Investments

Chris Stephens: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to increase public awareness of National Savings and Investments.

Chris Stephens: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment his Department has made of the costs and benefits to the (a) public purse and (b) Debt Management Office of the Government's ownership of National Savings and Investments.

Chris Stephens: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his policy is on the future of National Savings and Investments.

Chris Stephens: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department made of the economic effect on Glasgow of the decision by National Savings and Investments (NS&I) to close its Cowglen office; and what further plans his Department has for NS&I operations in Scotland.

Harriett Baldwin: The core purpose of NS&I remains to raise cost-effective finance for the Government, using an operating framework that balances the interests of savers, taxpayers and the wider financial sector. An indication of NS&I’s cost effectiveness in raising finance for the Government, as measured by the Value Indicator, is published annually. The Value Indicator is calculated by comparing the total cost of delivering Net Financing and servicing existing customers deposits with how much it would cost the Government to raise funds through the wholesale market via equivalent maturity gilts. Last year £330m was saved. As an arms-length body, NS&I is responsible for its own brand strategy. In line with government Spend Controls, Cabinet Office approval is required for advertising, marketing and communications spend of £100,000 or above. NS&I relocated its operations within Glasgow from the Cowglen site to the Capella building in the centre of Glasgow in May 2015. The closure of Cowglen facilitated the move to more modern and cost effective accommodation and released the surplus site for redevelopment for housing, together with a capital receipt for the Exchequer. NS&I’s mail processing and scanning operations previously located at Cowglen, moved to Orbital House in East Kilbride in October 2015. NS&I remains committed to its operations in Scotland.

Revenue and Customs: Staff

Julie Cooper: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many transfer pricing experts have been employed by HM Revenue and Customs in each of the last five years.

Harriett Baldwin: I refer the hon Member to the answer that I gave to the hon Member for Birmingham, Ladywood (Shabana Mahmood) on 26 February 2015. Link below: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2014-12-15/218658/

Uber

Tom Watson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many meetings Ministers and officials of his Department have had with representatives of Uber in the last 12 months.

Harriett Baldwin: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available via the gov.uk website

Internet: Fraud

Rob Marris: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many prosecutions for VAT and customs fraud relating to online sales and imports there have been in each of the last 10 years.

Rob Marris: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many cases of suspected VAT and customs fraud relating to online sales and imports have been the subject of a criminal investigation for possible referral to the Crown Prosecution Service in each of the last 10 years.

Mr David Gauke: To provide the answer to these questions would incur disproportionate cost. Data has not been captured centrally for the specific categories over the last 10 years.

Local Government: Devolution

Jim McMahon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish details of the fiscal devolution and retention requests made to his Department in 2015; and which such requests (a) were approved and (b) are still in development and (c) were refused.

Greg Hands: The list of places that sent in devolution proposals was published on Friday 11th September and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/landmark-devolution-bids-submitted-from-right-across-the-country. Proposals are developed by and belong to local areas, therefore publication is a matter for individual places. Agreed devolution deal documents are published on the gov.uk website.

Landfill Communities Fund

Steve McCabe: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what consultation his Department held on the proposal to withdraw the Contributing Third Payment element of the Landfill Communities Fund; and what assessment he has made of the financial ability of landfill operators and donors to continue with the scheme if that proposal is implemented.

Harriett Baldwin: An HMRC consultation on proposals to reform the LCF closed on 10 June 2015. The proposals were developed by a government-sector working group including representatives of landfill site operators and those receiving LCF funding. The government response to this consultation is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/reform-of-the-landfill-communities-fund The impact of the changes to the LCF announced following this consultation, at Autumn Statement 2015, is set out in Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015: policy costings. This document is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spending-review-and-autumn-statement-2015-documents

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Government Departments: Public Appointments

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to the current advertisement on the Morgan Hunt website for a post of stakeholder engagement consultant, in which department the successful  candidate will work; who that person will report to; and who will approve that appointment.

Andrea Leadsom: The advertisement is for an appointment for a limited period within the Department of Energy and Climate Change. The appointee will be approved by and report to an official at Grade 6 level within the Office of Unconventional Gas and Oil and will provide support to the team in its communications activities, which will include the production of core engagement materials for use with a range of different audiences in order to explain complex information in an easily digestible format. Once a suitable candidate has been identified, final approval will be sought from DECC HR.

Energy Supply

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many times a Notice of Insufficient Margin has been issued in each of the last three years.

Andrea Leadsom: In the past three years, National Grid have issued one Notice of Inadequate System Margin (NISM). This was issued on 4 November 2015. National Grid requires a safety cushion to be able to manage the system in real time and a NISM is a call to the market to maintain that safety cushion. This gives generators in the market the opportunity to provide additional generation ahead of National Grid instructing plant and demand side response held in the Contingency Balancing Reserve, if required. It is not an indication that demand is about to outstrip supply.

Hydroelectric Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what (a) modelling or (b) other assumptions her Department used to determine the export fractions for hydropower feed-in tariffs.

Andrea Leadsom: The export fractions used to model tariffs were determined using evidence submitted during the feed-in tariffs (FITs) review consultation as well as data gathered by Parsons Brinckerhoff in advance of the consultation. More detailed information on how export fractions were determined is included in the impact assessment published alongside the response to the FITs review. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/486084/IA_-_FITs_consultation_response_with_Annexes_-_FINAL_SIGNED.pdf

Hydroelectric Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, which operating costs were included by her Department for full operation of a hydropower scheme for the purposes of modelling its feed-in tariff scheme.

Andrea Leadsom: The operating costs included for hydropower schemes aim to capture those costs faced by a developer that are strictly related to the operation of a hydropower plant; this is consistent with the approach taken across other support mechanisms, including the renewables obligation (RO). The detailed consideration of operating costs is set out in the impact assessment accompanying the response to the feed-in tariffs review.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/486084/IA_-_FITs_consultation_response_with_Annexes_-_FINAL_SIGNED.pdf.

Hydroelectric Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what modelling was used when calculating a new rate of return of 9.2 per cent from hydropower with reduced feed-in tariff levels.

Andrea Leadsom: The modelling used to deliver a rate of return of 9.2% is based on discounted cash flows of a hydro plant’s cost and revenue streams, which is the approach often used by investors to evaluate opportunities. The capital and operational costs are calculated over the expected lifetime of the project and are compared with the expected revenue streams of a well-sited installation. The generation tariff makes up the difference over and above the income streams that a plant would need to hit its target rate of return. The rate of return is achieved based on a project having an average (median) capital and operating cost, and a high level of generating output (higher than average load factor). The level of return is aimed at attracting those investors with lower hurdle rates, such as individuals, communities and small scale organisations, which the FITs scheme targets. The impact assessment, published alongside the response to the feed-in tariffs review, sets out in more detail how rates of return were calculated:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/486084/IA_-_FITs_consultation_response_with_Annexes_-_FINAL_SIGNED.pdf.

Hydroelectric Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when she last met the British Hydropower Association to discuss the calculation of feed-in tariffs for the hydropower industry; and what recent representations she has received on this matter.

Andrea Leadsom: The BHA attended a round table I hosted in September 2015 to discuss the feed-in tariff (FIT) review. My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State last met the BHA in her previous role as Energy Minister in March 2015. DECC officials have met the BHA several times during the course of the FIT review consultation and members of the BHA contributed to a number of stakeholder meetings and discussions on the detail of the FIT review proposals during the same period. DECC officials have met the BHA again since publication of the Government response on the FIT review to discuss the methodology for setting feed-in tariffs for hydropower plants. The BHA have since written to the Secretary of State to raise concerns about the outcome of the FIT review for hydropower; we are considering the points raised and will respond shortly.

Energy: Meters

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many smart (a) electric and (b) gas meters have been installed in (i) London and (ii) each London borough since the smart meter programme started.

Andrea Leadsom: Data on the number of smart electricity and gas meters installed is set out in the Government’s ‘Smart Meters, Great Britain, Quarterly report to end September 2015’, published on 22 December 2015: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistical-release-and-data-smart-meters-great-britain-quarter-3-2015. The roll-out is making good progress with more than 2 million meters now operating under the Programme. Data is not collected from energy suppliers in a format that allows details of the number of smart meters installed in London or each London borough to be produced.

Cabinet Office

Government Departments: Billing

Melanie Onn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on how many occasions government departments have paid bills to private businesses more than 60 days after the date the invoice was received since 2010-11.

Matthew Hancock: This information is not held centrally.Departments publish, on their pages on GOV.UK, quarterly reports on the percentage of undisputed invoices they pay within 5 and 30 days. From the start of the next financial year they will also report quarterly on their liability to pay interest under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.

Cabinet Office: Uber

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many meetings Ministers and officials of his Department have had with representatives of Uber in the last 12 months.

Matthew Hancock: Details of Ministers' meetings with external organisations, including senior media figures, are published routinely and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministers-transparency-publications on Gov.uk.

Public Consultation: Elections

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether elections for devolved national assemblies are included within the reference to local and national elections in paragraph K of his Department's Consultation Principles 2016, published on 14 January 2016.

Mr Oliver Letwin: Guidance to UK civil servants on conducting consultations during the period prior to elections for devolved national assemblies will be issued in due course as part of broader guidance issued on conduct during this time.

Public Sector: Oldham

Jim McMahon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what land and property in Oldham his Department has identified for disposal over the next five years as part of the One Public Estate programme; and if he will estimate (a) the number of jobs that will be created, (b) housing that will be built and (c) capital receipts that will be accrued as a result of the sale of those sites.

Matthew Hancock: The Government Property Unit is working closely with Oldham Council and others across Greater Manchester on future plans across the public sector estate. Oldham Council is part of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority Partnership in the One Public Estate Programme delivered by Cabinet Office and the Local Government Association. The GMCA’s plans on what land and property will be disposed are still being developed and have not yet been identified. The partnership was awarded £250,000 in December 2015 on joining Phase 3 of the programme. Overall it expects to generate £172 million capital receipts, and create 30,000 new homes and 43,000 new jobs over the next 5 years. GMCA's programme also includes the establishment of a Land Commission, which will help to deliver 10,000 new homes per year.

Pregnancy and Childbirth

Tim Loughton: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many women have died (a) in pregnancy and (b) during childbirth in each of the last 10 years.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Death during Pregnancy
(PDF Document, 190.73 KB)

Perinatal Mortality

Tim Loughton: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many children have been stillborn in each region in each of the last 10 years.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Stillborn
(PDF Document, 112.23 KB)




Excel Table for Member
(Excel SpreadSheet, 26.5 KB)

Electoral Register: Juries

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the effect of individual electoral registration on jury selection and composition.

John Penrose: The rules governing jury selection and composition are unaffected by the introduction of Individual Electoral Registration (IER). Potential jurors’ names are still selected at random from the electoral register.IER means that we can prove electors are genuine for the first time and is crucial in ensuring the registers used for jury selection are as accurate as possible.

General Election 2015: British Nationals Abroad

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many UK citizens resident overseas registered to vote in the 2015 general election; and how many such citizens voted in that election.

John Penrose: 105,845 overseas electors were registered to vote in May 2015. The marked register, which records electors who have cast their vote, is not collated centrally. It is therefore not possible to tell how many overseas electors voted at the 2015 General Election.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Air Pollution: Greater Manchester

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department is having with (a) the Greater Manchester combined authority, (b) the metropolitan district councils of Greater Manchester, (c) Transport for Greater Manchester and (d) Highways England on the Greater Manchester Air Quality Action Plan.

Rory Stewart: Air quality control in the ten district councils of Greater Manchester is managed as a consortium led by the air quality and transport delivery arms of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), with input from Highways England. It is through this consortium that Defra engages on air quality matters.The latest Air Quality Action Plan progress report submitted by Greater Manchester GMCA was in March 2015. The next progress report is expected to be submitted to Defra for review early this month.Defra has regular discussions with Highways England to ensure that air quality outcomes are mainstreamed in their policy, and that adequate measures are put in place at strategic roads to address the impact of air pollution. Defra is also part of Highways England’s delivery programme board for the air quality element of the Road Investment Strategy.

Air Pollution

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on local authority obligations under an Air Quality Area Action Plan.

Rory Stewart: Defra engages regularly with the Department for Communities and Local Government on air quality matters, including on the revision of the Local Air Quality Management policy guidance (available at):https://consult.defra.gov.uk/communications/laqm_changes/supporting_documents/LAQM%20Policy%20Guidance%202016.pdf)which incorporates advice on Air Quality Action Plans (Chapter 5) and the National Planning Policy Framework (Chapter 9, para 124). The Framework is available at: http://planningguidance.planningportal.gov.uk/blog/policy/.

Air Pollution

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what work her Department is doing to monitor air quality standards in (a) Greater Manchester and (b) England.

Rory Stewart: Defra has eight fixed air quality monitoring sites located in Greater Manchester - at Bury Whitefield Roadside, Glazebury, Manchester Law Courts, Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester South, Salford Eccles, Shaw Crompton Way, Wigan Centre - and one hundred and seventy eight fixed monitoring sites in total across England. Many of these sites (seven in Manchester and 111 across England) provide near real-time data on one or more of the following pollutants: nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), ozone, and sulphur dioxide. Data is made available on our website. Full details of the sites, including locations, pollutants measured and concentrations observed at each, are available on Defra’s UK Air Website: http://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/. Data from these sites is reported alongside modelling data as part of the UK’s annual national compliance reporting.

Landfill

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to (a) increase the share of remanufacturing in public procurement and (b) reduce the volume of office equipment currently going to landfill.

Rory Stewart: Defra encourages Departments’ efforts to take account of sustainability in public procurement and to reduce waste through its role in developing, co-ordinating and reporting on the Greening Government Commitments. The commitments for 2010 to 2015 included to reduce the amount of waste generated and to buy more sustainable and efficient products. A new set of Greening Government Commitments for the period to 2020 is currently being developed. Defra and the Environment Agency are also among the Government Departments and agencies planning to participate in a pilot programme being run by HM Revenue and Customs in 2016-17 to promote reuse and recycling of Government assets. The 2014-15 Annual Report on the Greening Government shows that between 2009-10 and 2014-15 the Government reduced the amount of waste, including office equipment, it sent to landfill from 37% of its total waste to 17%.

Landfill

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the volume of (a) office equipment and (b) printer cartridges sent to landfill sites in the UK in each of the last three years.

Rory Stewart: Neither Defra nor the Environment Agency hold any specific data on waste office equipment. The data on waste tonnages accepted in disposal and recovery facilities is based on standard European Waste Classification (EWC) codes. These codes do not map directly to waste office equipment. Therefore, the data provided is based on the most relevant codes. These relate to ‘wastes from electrical and electronic equipment’, ‘separately collected fractions from municipal wastes’ for discarded electrical equipment and ‘wastes from the manufacture, formulation, supply and use of printing inks’. Figures for discarded equipment will not include office equipment only.  Waste electrical and electronic equipment and waste printer cartridges accepted at landfill sites in England (tonnes):  201220132014Discarded waste electrical & electronic equipment*101.0399.64134.92Waste printer cartridges**134.15159.30136.57 * based on EWC code 160213.160214, 200135, 200136.** based on EWC code 080317, 08318.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Vaccination

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effect of a lack of bovine TB vaccine on the spread of bovine TB in the areas that border Wales.

George Eustice: Following advice from Public Health England on the need to prioritise available stocks for humans, the Government has taken the decision to suspend attempts to source BCG vaccine for the Badger Edge Vaccination Scheme and other private badger vaccination deployment projects in England until the supply situation is resolved. This follows the decision of the Welsh Government to do the same. Our long-term research to develop an oral TB vaccine for badgers and an effective TB vaccine for cattle is not expected to be affected by the current supply issue. The Government is continuing to take strong action to deliver a long-term plan to eradicate the disease and protect the future of the UK’s dairy and beef industries. The comprehensive strategy includes strengthening cattle testing and movement controls, improving biosecurity on farm and when trading, and badger control in areas where TB is rife. Bovine TB policy is a devolved matter but my department liaises closely with the Welsh Government on matters of common interest, including the impact of the current hiatus in badger vaccination in both England and Wales.

Milk: Prices

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effect of reduced milk prices on dairy farmers.

George Eustice: The latest forecast of Farm Business Incomes for 2015-16 indicates that average incomes are expected to fall on dairy farms to £46,500. This reflects the impact of lower milk prices which started to fall in March 2014. It is important to note the wide variation in milk prices with some farmers receiving considerably more or less than the average. Reductions in milk price have been offset slightly by increased milk production together with reduced input costs, particularly feed.We understand the pressures facing dairy farmers and have taken action to ease their cash flow problems. The £26.2 million aid package we secured for the UK from the European Commission and paid out in November and December provided some relief to hard-pressed farmers.

White Fish: Devon

Mr Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the blanket ban on bass on the North Devon fishing industry.

George Eustice: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply previously given on 22 January 2016, PQ UIN 22346.

Dogs: Animal Welfare

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on the number of dogs put down because they could not be rehomed in each of the last five years.

George Eustice: Statistics of dogs put down because they could not be re-homed are not held by central Government. However, Dogs Trust carry out an annual survey of local authorities. The attached table is taken from information from the last five Dogs Trust surveys. Apr 2014 - Mar 2015 – 5,142Apr 2013 - Mar 2014 – 7,058Apr 2012 - Mar 2013 – 7,319Apr 2011 - Mar 2012 – 8,903Apr 2010 - Mar 2011 – 7,121

Bats: Churches

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has been made by her Department on developing a toolkit for effective and safe management of bats in churches as recommended in the University of Bristol report on Management of bats in churches, a pilot, published in January 2015.

Rory Stewart: The Government has invested significant resources into research and development to assess how we can reduce the impact caused by bats in churches. This has included a three year research project that concluded in 2013, as well as a pilot project led by Historic England that focused on churches with significant bat issues. Natural England is currently creating a licensing framework to provide the mechanism through which the impact of bats will be controlled in churches.A partnership of five organisations, including the Church of England and Natural England, is seeking Heritage Lottery Funding for a five year project to support the creation of a national support network for churches that have bat related issues. The outcome of the bid for funding will be known in March.

Food: Marketing

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the purpose was of her recent visit to Weetabix in Burton Latimer; and what progress has been made on the launch of the Great British Food Unit.

George Eustice: My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, launched the Great British Food Unit during a visit to Weetabix on 21 January 2016. This unit brings together experts from Defra and UKTI and will celebrate British food, encourage innovation and increase the number of Protected Food Names. The unit will increase investment and exports by opening new global markets and offering support to companies. Weetabix is made with locally sourced wheat and its iconic cereal is eaten in 80 countries. It is an historic British business benefitting from foreign investment and so provided an excellent example of the various types of business the Food Unit is there to support.

Department of Health

Hearing Impairment: Health Services

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which audiology services have applied for accreditation under the Improving Quality in Physiological Diagnostic Services programme.

Alistair Burt: Specific data on which audiology services have applied for accreditation under the Improving Quality in Physiological Diagnostic Services (IQIPS) programme, which is managed by the Royal College of Physicians, are not available. According to the latest IQIPS report, published in October 2015, there are currently 183 audiology services registered with the programme. Further information is available at the following link: www.iqips.org.uk

Mental Health Services: Young People

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to work with schools and local authorities to promote awareness of mental health issues for young people.

Alistair Burt: The Department of Health is investing £700,000 this financial year to fund the largest ever campaign for teenagers and the first of its kind for parents, to raise awareness and reduce stigma about mental health issues. This was done through Time To Change, a partnership between Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, and Public Health England. A key part of this work included activities within schools. Free resources were made available to teachers to deliver sessions and social contact events, supported by online contact, where young people shared their personal experiences and promoted by local areas. The campaign is being refreshed this week as part of Time To Talk Day on 4 February, which aims to get as many people as possible around the country talking about mental health. The Government will continue to support Time To Change campaigns on young people mental health in coming years. Work is also underway in partnership with the Department for Education and NHS England to pilot single points of contact in schools so that young people in school have improved access to mental health advice and support. These pilots will include joint training across children and young people’s mental health services and schools to raise awareness of mental health issues, support early identification and highlight potential interventions.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many children and young people in need of specialist mental health support as a result of (a) experiences of sexual abuse, (b) non-sexual physical abuse or neglect, (c) emotional abuse or neglect, (d) bereavement or (e) other trauma have been (i) granted and (ii) not granted access to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to improve access to mental health services for children who have (a) been the victims of abuse and (b) experienced other trauma.

Alistair Burt: The information needed to link individuals who have experienced various forms of trauma with those who have experienced mental health problems is not collected centrally. We are committed to improving child and adolescent mental health services, which is why we are investing an additional £1.4 billion in services for children and young people with mental health problems over the course of this Parliament. The guidance issued by NHS England in August last year on Local Transformation Plans for children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing specified that the plans should address the full spectrum of need including those with particular vulnerability to mental health problems such as those who have been sexually abused or exploited. The bespoke assurance process that was undertaken by NHS England will therefore have addressed the extent to which this has been addressed in local plans. NHS England has commissioned a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the Local Transformation Plans, in order to support policy makers, local commissioners and services to understand and use the data that is contained within the plans to drive further improvements. Local Transformation Plans will be reviewed from a narrative, analytical and financial perspective, with thematic reviews carried out in key focus areas that align with Future in Mind principles. Sensitive and routine enquiry will be introduced in targeted health services, such as sexual health clinics and mental health services, to help identify those children who have been subjected to abuse and other traumatic experiences. NHS England also published a Commissioning Framework for Adult and Paediatric Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) Services in August 2015 which outlines the core services in SARCs and referral pathways to other services. These are now being rolled out throughout England and should lead to improved services for those who have experienced sexual assault, including children and young people.

Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many full-time staff have been employed at the Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: The Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory (RIPL) staff numbers for the last five years are listed below:  Staff employed by RIPL in each of the last five years YearTechnical and Admin StaffMedical Staff20119220121132013133.52014143.52015153.5 Note: Since 2013, RIPL was incorporated into the functions of Public Health England.

Paediatrics: Audiology

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve the information available on the quality of paediatric audiology services.

Alistair Burt: The Improving Quality in Physiological Services accreditation scheme has been established with the aim of improving service quality, care and safety for patients undergoing physiological diagnostics and treatment by promoting and recognising good quality practice in physiological services. Information about those services which have achieved accreditation is publicly available on the United Kingdom Accreditation Service website and to date audiology services are making good progress towards accreditation. Commissioning of accredited services is considered good practice and should be encouraged. In March 2015, the Department and NHS England published the Action Plan on Hearing Loss. A key action in the plan is the drafting of a Commissioning Framework. To ensure that issues concerning paediatric audiology are not neglected, the Commissioning Framework will include suggested care pathways and capture quality requirements which can be incorporated into the commissioning process. The framework will also include recommended Key Performance Indicators that can support commissioners to incorporate appropriate quality management in their contracts.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Kirklees

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to maintain levels of access to A&E provision in Kirklees.

Jane Ellison: The provision of front line health services, including accident and emergency, is a matter for the local National Health Service, which has a responsibility to ensure that people have access to the best and safest healthcare possible. Any service changes should be led by clinicians and be based on a clear, robust clinical case for change that delivers better outcomes for patients.

Zika Virus

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with Ministers of the Cabinet Office on the Zika virus.

Jane Ellison: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health regularly discusses matters across his portfolio with Ministers from the Cabinet Office and other Government departments. He will continue to closely monitor the Zika virus situation.

Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many diagnoses have been made or confirmed by the Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: The diagnoses made by the Rare and Imported Pathogen Laboratory (RIPL) are made of up of definite positive tests that indicate the primary acute disease a patient has, and also the exclusion of diseases that allow clinicians to look for other causes locally. All samples, other than those sent specifically for Lyme disease and leptospirosis, will have from six to ten tests performed on them depending on the clinical problem. It is therefore only possible to report the number of samples tested as below: Number of samples tested annually by RIPL Type of Sample TestedYearGeneral ClinicalLyme DiseaseLeptospirosis20116,720  20127,2108,144 20139,03312,299 201410,55813,069 201510,85516,5223,655

Zika Virus

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with his European counterparts on the Zika virus.

Jane Ellison: The Secretary of State regularly discusses matters across his portfolio with his European counterparts. He continues to closely monitor the situation on the Zika virus. Additionally, Departmental officials continue to discuss the development of the virus with relevant European colleagues, and will be participating in a European Health Security Committee meeting on Zika on Tuesday 9 February 2016.

Health Services

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the budget (a) allocated from central Government to and (b) awarded by the Small Business Research Initiative for healthcare was in each financial year since its inception.

George Freeman: The Department has run a number of competitions under the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) and has had a budget as follows: fiscal year 2012-13 £2 million; fiscal 2013-14 £5 million; fiscal 2014-15 £2 million and fiscal 2015-16 £6 million. The Department has awarded contracts valued as follows: 2012-13: £1.07 million, the Department also contributed £1 million to other health related SBRI competitions.2013-14: £5.59 million2014-15: £10.15 million It should be noted that SBRI is now firmly embedded within NHS England’s Small Business Research Initiative for Healthcare (SBRI Healthcare). Hence, the Department has not launched any new competitions since 2013. SBRI Healthcare was established in 2013 by NHS England. As such, NHS England is responsible for setting this programme’s budget, which it has done as follows: fiscal year 2013-14 £10 million; fiscal 2014-15 £20 million; fiscal 2015-16 £20 million. The budget, once allocated to SBRI Healthcare, is then delegated to the Academic Health Science Networks to manage the implementation of the programme. NHS England has awarded contracts valued as follows: 2013-14: £13.49 million2014-15: £22.29 million2015-16: £15.94 million to-date.Further assessments are due to take place this month which could result in additional awards of around £1.6 million. The level of investment in SBRI Healthcare reflects NHS England’s ongoing commitment to promoting innovation in the National Health Service and United Kingdom economic growth.

Hospitals: Funerals

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the total annual cost to the NHS was of hospital contract funerals under the Public Health Act in each year between 2010 and 2015.

Alistair Burt: The Department does not hold any data on the annual cost to the National Health Service of hospital contract funerals.

Zika Virus

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Chief Executive of Public Health England on the Zika virus.

Jane Ellison: Public Health England’s (PHE) Medical Director is fully engaged in cross-Government discussions on tackling Zika virus and regularly provides updates to Ministers. Staff in the Department, PHE, and other Government departments are in regular contact to monitor the Zika virus situation.

Suicide

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how the Preventing Suicide in England strategy, published on 10 September 2012, is being monitored for its impact on reducing suicide; and how the commitment to people who had been identified as being especially vulnerable due to social and economic circumstances is being delivered.

Alistair Burt: The cross-Government National Suicide Prevention Strategy (2012) is monitored by the National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group, which meets regularly to monitor progress on the shared areas for action and objectives outlined in the National Strategy. The Department publishes an annual report of progress against the National Strategy, which highlights developments in suicide and self-harm prevention and emerging trends. The Department also commissions the Office for National Statistics to analyse and publish annual data on suicide rates. The Department works closely with colleagues in other Government departments and arm’s length bodies to take forward actions within the National Suicide Prevention Strategy. This also includes working with a range of stakeholders including the Samaritans and Network Rail to deliver specific suicide prevention activities and provide advice and guidance on suicide prevention. The Department provides financial support to the National Suicide Prevention Alliance which brings together a number of suicide prevention organisations to work towards achieving the aims of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy. The All Party Parliamentary Group on Suicide and Self-Harm Prevention raises awareness within Parliament and encourages discussion and debate of all issues involved in suicide and self-harm prevention.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to equalise access to IVF treatment through the NHS across the country.

Jane Ellison: The level of provision of infertility treatment, as for all health services they commission, is decided by local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and will take into account the needs of the population overall. The CCG’s decisions are underpinned by clinical insight and knowledge of local healthcare needs. As such, provision of services will vary in response to local needs. NHS England expects that all those involved in commissioning infertility treatment services to be fully aware of the importance of having regard to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence fertility guidelines. On 14 December last year I met with stakeholders, together with colleagues from NHS England and Monitor, to discuss the issue of improving the provision of in vitro fertilisation (IVF). The Department along with NHS England and Monitor will be giving further consideration to the scope for improving the commissioning of IVF services.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has undertaken or assessed on the relationship between the distance travelled to an A&E department and the likelihood of fatality after admission.

Jane Ellison: Clinical consensus is that for patient outcomes and mortality what matters is the time from becoming ill to receiving specialist, life-saving care. That is why we are developing ambulance services that act as mobile assessment and treatment services and networked urgent and emergency care services to ensure patients are treated in the facility best equipped to provide whatever care is needed. For some patients requiring specialist care this may be in a hospital that is further away. NHS England, in its guidance ‘Planning, assuring and delivering service changes for patients’, emphasise that NHS change planners include an analysis of distance and travel times, the impact of these on transport users, as well as the ambulance service.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether, as part of the NHS Five Year Forward View, local sustainability and transformation plans should include measures to improve children and young people's mental health; and on what outcomes they will be assessed.

Alistair Burt: Local health economies are developing a five year Sustainability and Transformation Plan which will set out how they will implement the Five Year Forward View in their area. They will identify and collectively agree the priorities to address over the next five years. We expect the improvement of children and young people’s mental health to be a key priority for many local health economies and NHS England will support these areas to develop transformative plans for these services. Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) will be assessed through a new CCG assessment framework and their progress with transformation will be included.

Mental Health Services: Children

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support is available for children who have been abused to avoid long-lasting psychological problems; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: NHS England published a Commissioning Framework for Adult and Paediatric Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) Services in August 2015 which outlines the core services in SARCs and referral pathways to other services. These are now being rolled out throughout England. Local Transformation Plans will set out how local organisations will use the additional investment of £1.4 billion the Government is making during the course of this Parliament to transform local Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. All clinical commissioning groups working closely with their partners in local government, Children’s Services and education, have developed plans to transform their local offer. These plans cover the full spectrum of mental health issues: from prevention and resilience building, to support and care for existing and emerging mental health problems, as well as transitions between services and addressing the needs of the most vulnerable. The guidance issued by NHS England in August specifies that the plans should set out what will be done to address the needs of children and young people who are particularly vulnerable to mental health problems including, for example, those who have been exposed to sexual abuse or exploitation.

Social Services: Migrant Workers

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the £35,000 minimum income threshold on the numbers of migrant workers in the adult social care workforce who will be eligible to stay in the UK from April 2016 onwards.

Alistair Burt: Skills for Care, the partner in the sector skills council for social care, in England, collects information on the adult social care workforce in England. Skills for Care estimates show that between 1,500 and 2,500 migrant workers in adult social care regulated professional roles may not have an income sufficient for settlement. However, the vast majority of these roles are registered nurses who are exempt from the requirement to earn £35,000 whilst the role is or has been on the shortage occupation list.

In Vitro Fertilisation: Donors

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department issues to sperm banks on the grounds for rejecting donors.

Jane Ellison: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) issues guidance to licensed clinics, including sperm banks, on donor recruitment, assessment and screening in the HFEA Code of Practice. A copy of which is attached.The HFEA requires clinics to select donors on the basis of their age, health and medical history, provided on a questionnaire and through a personal interview performed by a qualified and trained healthcare professional. This assessment must include relevant factors that may assist in identifying and screening out persons whose donations could present a health risk to others, such as the possibility of transmitting diseases, (such as sexually transmitted infections) or health risks to themselves (e.g. the risks associated with the egg collection procedure or the psychological consequences of being a donor).Clinics should ensure that its procedures for recruiting donors are fair and non-discriminatory. The HFEA has never required or endorsed prohibiting people with dyslexia, dyspraxia, attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and other disorders from becoming sperm donors. In relation to the recent press coverage about a particular centre, the HFEA has clarified its requirements for selecting donors with this centre, and has reviewed all the exemptions cited in the centre’s materials, to ensure that all future donors are treated fairly and in accordance with the law.



HFEA Code of Practice
(PDF Document, 3.93 MB)

Contraceptives: Children

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many girls under the age of 16 have been prescribed the contraceptive pill or contraceptive implants in each of the last 10 years.

Jane Ellison: Holding answer received on 05 February 2016



 Specialised Sexual and Reproductive Health Services (previously known as Community Contraceptive Clinics) collect this information which can be found through the following links: 2014-15http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB18597/srh-serv-eng-14-15-tab.xlsxTable 72013-14http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB15746/nhs-cont-serv-comm-cont-clin-eng-13-14-tab.xlsxTable 52012-13http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB12548/nhs-cont-serv-comm-cont-clin-eng-12-13-tab1.xlsTable 52011-12http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB08153/nhs-cont-serv-comm-cont-clin-eng-11-12-tab1.xlsTable 52010-11http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB02940/nhs-cont-serv-comm-cont-clin-eng-10-11-tab1.xlsTable 52009-10http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB00159/nhs-cont-serv-eng-2009-2010-tab.xlsTable 52008-09http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB00153/nhs-cont-serv-eng-2008-2009-tab.xlsTable 52007-08http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB00128/nhs-cont-serv-eng-2007-2008-tab-v1.xlsTable 42006-07http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB00113/nhs-cont-serv-eng-2006-2007-tab.xlsTable 42005-06http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB00106/cont-serv-eng-2005-06-tab.xlsTable 4 It should be noted that in 2014/15 the methodology used to determine the choice of contact was revised and the data is not directly comparable to previous years. This does not include women who are prescribed contraceptives from other sources such as general practitioners and hospital doctors, as data are not available by age from these services.

Sugar: Taxation

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what meetings (a) he, (b) the Minister for Public Health and (c) his special advisers had with representatives of the People Against Sugar Tax campaign in the last six months.

Jane Ellison: Details of all Ministerial meetings with external stakeholders are published quarterly in arrears on the GOV.UK website. The latest publication which covers meetings between July and September 2015 is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-external-meetings-2015 Information for October to December 2015 will be published at the end of March.

Meningitis

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the (a) number of meningitis cases and (b) number of fatal meningitis cases in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: Public Health England collects data on laboratory confirmed cases of invasive meningococcal disease which is a major cause of bacterial meningitis in England. Linked data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have been used to generate information on deaths from invasive meningococcal disease, as shown in the table. The data do not distinguish between invasive meningococcal disease presentation as meningitis or septicaemia. Number of laboratory confirmed cases of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) and related ONS certified deaths in England by epidemiological year: 2010/11 to 2014/15 2010/112011/122012/132013/142014/15*Cases of IMD1009730769636724ONS certified deaths6034433956*provisionalThe increase in cases of IMD in 2014/15 relative to 2013/14 has been largely due to the rise in one form of IMD - MenW. A new MenACWY vaccination programme was introduced in August 2015 in response to this rise in cases.

Department of Health: Grants

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what grants have been made by his Department to registered charities in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The Department makes a number of grant payments to non-public sector bodies each financial year to support key policy objectives. This includes grants made to registered charities as well as other voluntary organisations. In the last year, grants have been made to voluntary organisations, including registered charities as part of: (a) The Innovation, Excellence and Strategic Development scheme. This is a competed scheme where successful applications are funded for up to three years; this provides funding to support proposals with a clear focus on supporting and driving forward new ideas (Innovation), or consolidating or expanding the benefits from successful projects (Excellence) or undertaking of strategic developments in voluntary sector capacity or capability within the health and care field. (b) The Health and Social Care Volunteering Fund is a competed scheme which uniquely combines grant funding and support to voluntary organisations to increase their capacity, to get the maximum benefit from volunteers. (c) The Strategic Partner Programme is a system-wide cohort of voluntary sector partners who use their knowledge, expertise and reach to inform and shape policy. (d) Specific Policy Grants supporting Departmental policy.

Musculoskeletal Disorders

John Mc Nally: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve access to specialist psychology support for people with muscle-wasting conditions.

John Mc Nally: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the provision of specialist respiratory care for people with muscle-wasting conditions; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress his Department has made on improving access to specialist psychology support for people with muscle-wasting conditions.

Jane Ellison: With regards to the National Health Service in Scotland, as healthcare is a devolved issue, the Department cannot comment. NHS England commissions specialised neurological services at a national level, including those with muscle-wasting conditions. The neurosciences service specification sets out what designated specialised providers must have in place to offer evidence-based, safe and effective care. Patients should have access to a multidisciplinary team (MDT) to assess, diagnose and provide support. The MDT will include neuromuscular consultants, neuromuscular physiotherapists, psychologists, specialist nurses, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists and other health professionals. The specification further sets out that neuromuscular clinics need to identify those at risk of respiratory problems and refer for specialist respiratory assessment and monitoring. The specification can be found at the following link:www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/d04-neurosci-spec-neuro.pdf A separate specification covers services for children. www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/e09-paedi-neurology.pdf

Infectious Diseases: Disease Control

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve infection control in primary health trusts.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has for measures to reduce rates of hospital-acquired infections.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to address increases in the rate of E.coli infection.

Ben Gummer: There is no simple solution to reducing infections in hospitals or the wider health economy. Thus as part of implementation of the UK 5 Year Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy 2013 – 2018, a wide ranging programme of work is already underway to reduce the incidence of infections. The Strategy is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-5-year-antimicrobial-resistance-strategy-2013-to-2018 Plans are in hand to strengthen local leadership and reporting to support the drive to reduce healthcare associated infections. There are national evidence based guidelines for preventing healthcare associated infections and local and national surveillance to help us identify areas where more focused attention and effort is needed are part of this programme. Our expert scientific advisory committee is currently evaluating relevant data to identify interventions that can be used to reduce infections such as Escherichia coli blood stream infections. In addition a new indicator will bring together data into one website to help the National Health Service understand that cleanliness, infection prevention and control and antibiotic usage are linked issues which require urgent coherent action. This will support our aim of ensuring local delivery and more information will be in the second Strategy progress report due to be published in the spring.

Zika Virus

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what protocol is in place in the event of a person in the UK testing positive for the Zika virus.

Jane Ellison: In the United Kingdom, testing for Zika virus is carried out in the Public Health EnglandRare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory at Porton Down. In the event of a positive result, the clinicians caring for the patient are informed immediately, as well as local Public Health officials. The clinicians will be referred to the national guidance for further advice on management and follow-up. The majority of people (roughly 80%) infected do not have symptoms. For those with symptoms, Zika virus generally causes a mild, short-lived (2 to 7 days) illness. In the case of a pregnant woman, the guidance suggests referral to a fetal medicine service for further assessment, including an ultrasound scan. Samples will also be tested for other infections prevalent in the geographical region that the patient has visited, and which may present with similar symptoms, such as dengue.

NHS: Finance

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many meetings have taken place between NHS Improvement and NHS trusts to agree plans to improve their financial position since 15 January; which providers have had such meetings with NHS Improvement; and when each such meeting took place.

Ben Gummer: Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority (NHS TDA) (becoming NHS Improvement from 1 April 2016) engage with National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts on a daily basis and staff regularly meet with these organisations to review and support their plans to improve their financial positions. Since 15 January, senior representatives have met with seven trusts for face to face meetings and have also attended events, with a number of trusts represented, to discuss the 2015/16 financial year and financial planning for 2016/17. In addition, senior representatives have also met with NHS Providers to discuss these issues and fed into their communications to the provider sector on these topics. All trusts will be submitting draft financial plans for 2016/17 to Monitor and the NHS TDA in due course. Monitor and the NHS TDA will continue to engage further with trusts as appropriate.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he made of the potential merits of expanding the monitoring of healthcare-associated infections.

Ben Gummer: Public Health England undertakes monitoring of healthcare associated infections, which includes the mandatory healthcare associated infections surveillance system. These arrangements are regularly reviewed and changes introduced in 2015 include enhanced surveillance for very antibiotic resistant infections (carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae).

William Mead

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the national recommendations outlined in NHS England's report on the death of William Mead are implemented.

Ben Gummer: The (NHS England South) Regional Quality Surveillance Group is responsible for ensuring that all the national recommendations outlined in NHS England’s report on the death of William Mead are implemented. The Department will be keeping track of progress on this front.

Sepsis

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will instigate a national public awareness campaign about sepsis.

Ben Gummer: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health asked Public Health England (PHE) to review the evidence and make recommendations on the scope for a public-facing campaign to raise awareness of Sepsis. PHE will publish its evidence-based review shortly.

Antidepressants

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many prescriptions for anti-depressants were dispensed in each region in each year since 2010.

Alistair Burt: Prescribing data for anti-depressants is available at prescription item level. On a prescription form, each item written on the form is counted as a single prescription item. Data is available for each financial year from 2011/12 to 2014/15 and is shown in the table below. Antidepressants prescription items dispensed in the community in NHS England regions in England by financial year  Prescription Items (‘000s)NHS England Region NameFinancial 2011/12Financial 2012/13Financial 2013/14Financial 2014/15South (Wessex)2,513.02,643.92,841.32,989.1London4,289.44,532.84,862.75,166.5North (Yorkshire And Humber)5,365.75,706.46,130.06,583.4North (Lancashire And Greater Manchester)4,585.04,846.75,197.65,540.8North (Cumbria And North East)3,989.84,240.34,560.84,917.5North (Cheshire And Merseyside)2,665.32,833.33,034.53,234.7Midlands And East (North Midlands)3,167.73,368.73,617.93,890.8Midlands And East (West Midlands)3,157.83,348.23,577.83,838.4Midlands And East (Central Midlands)3,822.14,086.74,363.94,703.3Midlands And East (East)4,224.94,496.94,879.35,221.7South (South West)3,035.93,241.83,484.53,737.5South (South East)3,636.13,874.24,112.44,351.2South (South Central)2,933.43,076.63,280.63,504.4Unidentified doctors19.837.764.491.0England47,405.850,334.254,007.557,770.1 Source: ePACT, NHS Business Services Authority

Supported Housing: Housing Benefit

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and (b) the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions about the planned cap on housing benefit for tenants in supported housing at the local rate of local housing allowance.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of people (a) with mental health conditions, (b) with long-term disabilities and (c) who receive social care who will be affected by the planned cap on housing benefit for tenants in supported housing.

Alistair Burt: Ministers have not yet made any official representations to other Government departments about the proposed changes to housing benefit for tenants in supported housing. Neither has the Department made any formal estimates of the people likely to be affected by the proposed changes. However, discussions are ongoing at official level between Departments.

Health Professions: Mental Health

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what provisions are in place to support and promote the mental wellbeing of psychology professionals within the NHS workforce.

Alistair Burt: NHS England’s Five Year Forward View draws attention to how National Health Service employers should look after their staff to stay healthy through new incentives, ensuring that guidance issued by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on promoting healthy workplaces is implemented, particularly for mental health. The frontline work of our staff requires support, which is why both psychological wellbeing practitioners and high intensity practitioners have one hour of clinical supervision with an experienced trained supervisor per week. In addition, group supervision is available for longer sessions.

NHS: Standards

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of whether common system failures contributed to the deaths of Sam Morrish in Devon in December 2010 and William Mead in Cornwall in December 2014; and what steps his Department is taking to address those failures.

Ben Gummer: The Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman’s report into the death of Sam Morrish, published in June 2014, made several recommendations for local National Health Service organisations involved in Sam Morrish’s care to implement. NHS England advises that these have now been implemented. We are advised by NHS England that there has been ongoing dialogue with the Sam Morrish’s family, including their full involvement in development of an integrated care pathway for paediatric sepsis, which has been piloted in the South Devon and Torbay area and is currently being evaluated. The (NHS England South) Regional Quality Surveillance Group is responsible for ensuring that all the national recommendations outlined in NHS England’s report on the death of William Mead, in December 2014, are implemented. The Department will be keeping track of progress on this front.

General Practitioners

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to ensure that out-of-hours GP services have access to patients' medical records.

Alistair Burt: Summary Care Records are being introduced to improve the safety and quality of patient care. The Summary Care Record is a single electronic record held centrally so will give healthcare staff faster, easier access to essential information and help to give patients safe treatment during an emergency or when their general practitioner (GP) surgery is closed. 55.06 million people have had a Summary Care Record created and the Summary Care Record is currently enabled in 102 out of 154 Out of Hours GP Services.

Obesity: Children

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the Prime Minister has seen a draft childhood obesity strategy document.

Jane Ellison: As part of the development of the Childhood Obesity Strategy, the Secretary of State has regular meetings to discuss its content. The Childhood Obesity Strategy will be published shortly.